Shorrock and Child Support Registrar (Child support)

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) considered an application by Shorrock for an extension of time to lodge an objection against a decision made by the Child Support Registrar. The core of the dispute concerned whether Shorrock's objection was validly lodged within the prescribed timeframes, or if an extension of time was warranted.

The Tribunal was required to determine whether Shorrock had established sufficient grounds to justify granting an extension of time for lodging the objection. This involved assessing whether the objection was, in fact, out of time, and if so, whether the circumstances presented by Shorrock met the criteria for an extension under the relevant legislation.

The Tribunal found that Shorrock's objection was not out of time. It reasoned that the Registrar's decision under review had not been validly communicated to Shorrock, meaning the time limit for lodging an objection had not commenced. Consequently, the Tribunal set aside the Registrar's decision and remitted the matter back to the Registrar with directions to consider Shorrock's objection.