Snell and Snell (Child support)

The case of *Snell and Snell (Child support)* concerned an application to extend a child support assessment beyond the child's eighteenth birthday. The applicant sought this extension, but the child was not undertaking full-time secondary education on his eighteenth birthday, which is a key criterion for such extensions under the relevant legislation. The matter came before the court for review of a previous decision.

The central legal issue before the court was whether the applicant had satisfied the requirements for extending the child support assessment beyond the child's eighteenth birthday, specifically in circumstances where the child was not in full-time secondary education at that critical juncture. This required an interpretation of the provisions of the *Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988* relating to the continuation of child support assessments for children over the age of 18.

The court considered the legislative framework governing child support assessments and the specific conditions under which an assessment can be extended beyond a child's eighteenth birthday. It was determined that the statutory requirement for the child to be undertaking full-time secondary education on their eighteenth birthday was not met. Consequently, the court found that the criteria for extending the assessment were not satisfied.

The court set aside the previous decision and substituted its own orders, refusing the application to extend the child support assessment beyond the child's eighteenth birthday.