Quinn and Tarrant (Child support)

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) considered the dispute between Quinn and Tarrant concerning the percentage of care attributed to each party for child support purposes. The applicant, Quinn, sought a review of a decision made by the Child Support Registrar regarding the assessment of child support.

The primary legal issue before the Tribunal was whether the Registrar's decision, which determined the likely pattern of care, was correct. Specifically, the Tribunal had to determine if a full merits review had been conducted by the Registrar, and if not, what directions should be given for the reconsideration of the matter.

The Tribunal found that a full merits review had not been conducted by the Registrar. It reasoned that the Registrar’s decision did not adequately consider all the evidence and circumstances relevant to the likely pattern of care. Consequently, the Tribunal set aside the Registrar's decision. The matter was remitted to the Child Support Registrar for reconsideration, with directions that a comprehensive review of the evidence be undertaken to determine the percentage of care.