Turnbull and Child Support Registrar (Child support)

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) considered an application by Turnbull for an extension of time to object to a decision made by the Child Support Registrar. The Registrar had refused to grant this extension, and Turnbull sought a review of that refusal.

The primary legal issue before the AAT was whether the Registrar's refusal to grant an extension of time to lodge an objection was justified. This required the Tribunal to consider whether Turnbull had provided a satisfactory explanation for the significant delay in lodging the objection and to weigh this, along with any arguable merit in the objection itself, against the policy considerations favouring timely objections.

The Tribunal affirmed the Registrar's decision, finding that Turnbull had not offered a satisfactory explanation for the prolonged delay. While acknowledging that the proposed objection might have some arguable merit, the Tribunal concluded that this factor alone was insufficient to outweigh the lack of a reasonable excuse for the lateness. The Tribunal applied the principles that extensions of time are not granted as a matter of course and require a compelling justification for the delay, particularly when the delay is substantial.