Threlkeld and Armett (Child support)

This matter concerned an appeal by Threlkeld (the applicant) against a decision of the Registrar of the Child Support Agency regarding an administrative assessment of child support payable to Armett (the respondent). The dispute centred on the Registrar's estimation of the applicant's income for the purposes of the child support assessment.

The primary legal issue before the Court was whether the Registrar had erred in estimating the applicant's income, specifically whether the estimated income was less than the amount likely to be the applicant's actual income. The Court was required to determine if the Registrar's estimation was reasonable and supported by the available evidence.

The Court considered the principles governing the estimation of income under the *Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988*. It was held that where a party fails to provide sufficient information regarding their income, the Registrar is entitled to make an estimation based on the available evidence. The Court found that the Registrar's estimation in this instance was not demonstrably less than the applicant's likely actual income and that the evidence did not support a conclusion that the estimated income was too low. Consequently, the Court set aside the decision under review and substituted its own decision.