Tebbutt and Tebbutt (Child support)

The matter of *Tebbutt and Tebbutt* concerned an appeal to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) regarding a child support assessment. The appellant, Mr Tebbutt, sought to challenge the estimate of his income used by the Registrar in calculating his child support liability. The core of the dispute revolved around whether the Registrar had correctly reconciled the estimated income with the available information.

The Tribunal was required to determine whether the Registrar's estimate of Mr Tebbutt's income was a reasonable one, having regard to the information available at the time of the assessment. Specifically, the Tribunal had to consider if the estimate was properly reconciled with the evidence, and if the assessment accurately reflected Mr Tebbutt's financial circumstances as presented or ascertainable.

The Tribunal affirmed the decision under review, finding that the Registrar's estimate of income was correctly reconciled. The reasoning applied by the Tribunal focused on the principles governing the estimation of income under the *Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988*. The Tribunal was satisfied that the Registrar had acted within the scope of their powers and had made a reasonable assessment based on the information available, leading to the conclusion that the assessment was valid.