Hulley and Harkins (Child support)

This matter concerned an appeal by the applicant, Hulley, against a decision of the Child Support Registrar to refuse an estimate of income. The respondent was Harkins.

The primary legal issue before the court was whether the Registrar had correctly exercised their discretion in refusing to accept Hulley's estimate of income for the purposes of a child support assessment. Specifically, the court had to determine if the estimate was likely to be less than Hulley's actual income.

The court affirmed the Registrar's decision, finding that the Registrar had correctly applied the relevant provisions of the *Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988*. The Registrar's assessment that Hulley's estimated income was likely to be less than his actual income was a reasonable conclusion based on the information before them, and therefore the discretion to refuse the estimate was properly exercised.