Meriwether and Child Support Registrar (Child support)

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) considered an appeal by Meriwether against a decision by the Child Support Registrar to refuse an extension of time to object to a child support assessment. Meriwether sought to object to an assessment made on 15 March 2021, but lodged the objection on 16 September 2021, significantly outside the statutory timeframe.

The primary legal issue before the Tribunal was whether the Registrar had erred in refusing to grant Meriwether an extension of time to lodge her objection. This required the Tribunal to consider whether there was a satisfactory explanation for the extensive delay in lodging the objection and whether the objection itself had sufficient merit to warrant an extension.

The Tribunal affirmed the Registrar's decision, finding that Meriwether had failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for the delay. While acknowledging Meriwether's stated reasons, the Tribunal concluded they did not adequately account for the six-month period that elapsed between the assessment date and the lodgement of the objection. Furthermore, the Tribunal found that the grounds of objection lacked merit, as they did not demonstrate a clear error in the assessment itself. Weighing all relevant factors, the Tribunal determined that the refusal to grant an extension of time was correct.