Jourdain and Groves (Child support)

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) considered the matter of *Jourdain and Groves (Child support)*. The dispute concerned an objection lodged by Ms Groves against a decision made by the Registrar of Child Support regarding child support payments. Ms Groves sought to have her objection considered, despite it being lodged outside the prescribed time limit.

The primary legal issue before the Tribunal was whether there were "special circumstances" that prevented Ms Groves from lodging her objection within the statutory timeframe. A secondary issue, related to the primary one, was whether Ms Groves was aware that the decision under review had been made, as this awareness would be a key factor in determining the existence of special circumstances.

The Tribunal found that special circumstances did exist in this case. It was satisfied that Ms Groves had not been aware of the decision made by the Registrar until after the time for lodging an objection had expired. This lack of awareness, in the context of the circumstances presented, constituted the special circumstances required by the legislation to permit the late lodgement of the objection. Consequently, the Tribunal set aside the Registrar's decision.