Pearson and Pearson (Child support)

This matter concerned an appeal to the Federal Circuit Court of Australia regarding a child support assessment. The parties, referred to as Pearson and Pearson, disputed the percentage of care attributed to each parent for the purposes of calculating child support obligations. The core of the dispute revolved around the likely future pattern of care for the child from the date of the assessment.

The court was required to determine whether the initial decision-maker had correctly assessed the percentage of care arrangements. Specifically, the court had to consider what constituted the "likely pattern of care" from the date of assessment and whether the evidence presented supported the established percentage of care.

The court affirmed the original decision, finding that the determinations made regarding the percentage of care were correctly made. The reasoning applied focused on the evidence available at the time of the assessment and the statutory framework governing child support, which requires an assessment of the *likely* future pattern of care. The court found no error in the application of these principles to the facts before the original decision-maker.