Hopper and Bligh (Child support)

The matter of *Hopper and Bligh* concerned a dispute between the payee and the liable parent regarding child support arrears. The payee sought to have the decision of the Child Support Registrar reviewed, specifically challenging whether an election had been made to opt out of those arrears. The review was heard by Member Baulch.

The central legal issue before the Member was whether the payee had validly elected to opt out of the child support arrears owed by the liable parent. This required the Member to consider the requirements for making such an election under the relevant legislation and to determine if those requirements had been met in this instance.

Member Baulch found that the payee had indeed made an appropriate election to opt out of the arrears. The reasoning applied was that the payee's actions and communications satisfied the statutory criteria for such an election. Consequently, the Member set aside the previous decision of the Child Support Registrar and substituted it with a new decision reflecting the opt-out of the arrears.