Hulbert and Hulbert (Child support)

This matter concerned an appeal by the father, Mr Hulbert, against a child support administrative assessment made by the Child Support Registrar. The dispute centred on the Registrar's acceptance of an estimate of the father's income for the purposes of calculating child support liability. The appeal was heard by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

The primary legal issue before the Tribunal was whether the Child Support Registrar had erred in accepting an estimate of the father's income, rather than relying on the income information provided by the father himself. This required the Tribunal to consider the provisions of the *Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988* (Cth) and associated regulations governing the estimation of income by the Registrar when a party fails to provide satisfactory information.

The Tribunal affirmed the Registrar's decision, finding that the Registrar had acted within their powers. The reasoning was that the father had failed to provide sufficient or satisfactory information regarding his income, thereby necessitating the use of an estimate. The Tribunal applied the principle that where a party does not cooperate in providing accurate income details, the Registrar is empowered to make a reasonable estimate to ensure the correct assessment of child support obligations. The Tribunal was satisfied that the estimate used by the Registrar was reasonable in the circumstances.

The Tribunal affirmed the administrative assessment made by the Child Support Registrar.