Rogan and Hadley (Child support)

This matter concerned an appeal by the father, Mr Rogan, against a decision of the Child Support Registrar regarding the percentage of care for the parties' child. The dispute centred on the Registrar's assessment of the father's care entitlement, which the father contended was incorrectly calculated. The appeal was heard by S Trotter SM in the Magistrates Court.

The primary legal issue before the Court was to determine the correct percentage of care for the child as between the parents, for the purposes of a child support assessment. This required the Court to consider the care arrangements that had occurred from the commencement of the administrative assessment and the care arrangements that were likely to continue for the remainder of the relevant care period.

The Court's reasoning involved a careful examination of the evidence presented regarding the actual care provided by each parent and the projected future care arrangements. The Court applied the principles of the *Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988* concerning the calculation of care percentages, which requires consideration of both past and prospective care. The Court found that the Registrar's decision did not adequately account for the father's actual and likely future care.

Consequently, the Court set aside the decision under review and substituted its own decision, finding that the father was entitled to a greater percentage of care than had been initially assessed by the Registrar.