Isaacs and Mullane (Child support)

The case of *Isaacs and Mullane* concerned a dispute over child support payments. The applicant, Isaacs, sought to have a decision of the Child Support Registrar reviewed. The Registrar had affirmed a decision that a payment made by Isaacs was not a non-agency payment, meaning it was not a payment made outside the formal child support system.

The primary legal issue before the court was whether the payment made by Isaacs was a voluntary payment made at a time when there was no enforceable maintenance liability. This required the court to consider the nature of the payment and the existence of any legal obligation to pay child support at the time the payment was made.

The court affirmed the Registrar's decision, finding that the payment in question was not a non-agency payment. This implies that the court was satisfied that either an enforceable maintenance liability existed at the time of the payment, or that the payment was otherwise not of a character that would permit it to be treated as a non-agency payment under the relevant legislation. The court applied the principles governing child support payments and the definition of non-agency payments as established by the *Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988*.