Ridley and Child Support Registrar (Child support)

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) considered the appeal of Ridley against a decision of the Child Support Registrar concerning the percentage of care for a child. The dispute centred on whether there had been a change to the likely pattern of care for the child, which would justify revoking existing percentage of care determinations and making new ones.

The primary legal issue before the Tribunal was to determine whether the Registrar's decision to revoke the existing percentage of care determinations and make new ones was justified. This required the Tribunal to assess the evidence regarding the actual and likely future care arrangements for the child and to apply the relevant provisions of the *Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988* (Cth).

The Tribunal found that the evidence presented demonstrated a significant and ongoing change in the pattern of care for the child. It reasoned that the existing determinations no longer accurately reflected the reality of the care arrangements. Applying the principles of the *Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988*, the Tribunal concluded that the Registrar had erred in their initial assessment and that new determinations were warranted to reflect the changed circumstances. The Tribunal set aside the Registrar's decision and substituted its own determinations regarding the percentage of care.