Rowell and Rowell (Child support)

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal reviewed a decision made by the Registrar of the Child Support Registrar concerning the child support assessment for the parties, referred to as Rowell and Rowell. The dispute centred on the Registrar's acceptance of an estimate of the liable parent's income for the purposes of calculating child support.

The Tribunal was required to determine whether the Registrar had erred in accepting the estimate of the liable parent's income, and consequently, whether the child support assessment based on that estimate was correct. The core legal issue was whether the estimate of income was a reasonable and appropriate basis for the child support assessment, or if it should have been refused.

The Tribunal affirmed the Registrar's decision, finding that the estimate of income was properly accepted. The reasoning applied was that the liable parent had failed to provide sufficient reliable information regarding their actual income. In the absence of such information, the Registrar was entitled to make an estimate based on the available evidence, which in this instance, was deemed reasonable and sufficient to proceed with the assessment. The Tribunal concluded that the Registrar had acted within their powers and that the assessment was valid.