Mcnaught and Vernon (Child support)

This matter concerned an appeal to the Full Court of the Family Court of Australia regarding a decision of a Registrar of the Child Support Registrar. The appeal was brought by the father, Mr. McNaught, against the mother, Ms. Vernon, concerning the determination of the percentage of care for their child. The core of the dispute revolved around the Registrar's assessment of the likely future pattern of care for the child.

The primary legal issue before the Full Court was whether the Registrar had erred in law in determining the likely pattern of care for the child under section 46 of the *Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988* (Cth). Specifically, the Court was asked to consider whether the Registrar had properly applied the principles for assessing the "likely pattern of care" and whether the Registrar's decision was affected by an error of fact or law.

The Full Court affirmed the Registrar's decision. The Court reasoned that the Registrar was entitled to consider all relevant circumstances when determining the likely pattern of care, including past care arrangements and the expressed intentions of the parents. The Court found that the Registrar had not made an error of fact or law in reaching the conclusion that the mother would have the majority of care for the child. The Registrar's assessment was based on the evidence before them and was a permissible exercise of their statutory function.