Ramsey and Ramsey (Child support)

This matter concerned an application by the father, Mr Ramsey, to revoke existing percentage of care determinations made under the *Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988* (Cth) concerning his two children. The mother, Ms Ramsey, opposed the application. The Senior Member of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) was required to determine whether there had been a change to the likely pattern of care for the children.

The central legal issue before the Tribunal was whether the existing percentage of care determinations accurately reflected the likely future pattern of care for the children. The father contended that the current arrangements, which attributed a higher percentage of care to the mother, no longer reflected the reality of the children's living arrangements and that a change was warranted. The Tribunal had to assess the evidence presented by both parties regarding the children's day-to-day care and living arrangements to determine if a change to the likely pattern of care had occurred.

The Tribunal considered the evidence and found that there had been no significant change to the likely pattern of care for the children. The Senior Member applied the principles established in the *Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988*, which require a determination of the *likely* pattern of care. The Tribunal concluded that the existing percentage of care determinations remained appropriate and did not reflect a change that would justify revocation. Consequently, the Tribunal affirmed the decision to refuse to revoke the existing percentage of care determinations.