Saddington and Meegan (Child support)

This matter concerned an appeal by the father, Saddington, against a departure determination made by the Registrar of the Child Support Agency. The Registrar had determined that the mother, Meegan, was entitled to a departure from the standard child support assessment, based on the father's alleged failure to provide full and accurate particulars of his income, property, and financial resources. The father sought to have this departure determination set aside.

The primary legal issue before the court was whether the Registrar had erred in finding that there was a ground for departure from the child support assessment. Specifically, the court had to consider whether the father had failed to provide full and accurate particulars of his income, property, and financial resources, and if so, whether this failure constituted a ground for departure under the relevant provisions of the *Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988*.

The court reviewed the evidence presented by both parties and the Registrar's findings. It was held that the Registrar had not been satisfied that the father had failed to provide full and accurate particulars of his income, property, and financial resources. The court found that the information provided by the father was sufficient for the purposes of the assessment, and therefore, no ground for departure was established. Consequently, the Registrar's departure determination was set aside and substituted with a decision that no departure was warranted.