Wilcox and Hoggard (Child support)

This matter concerned an appeal by Wilcox and Hoggard against a decision of the Child Support Registrar. The Registrar had made determinations regarding the percentage of care each party had for their child, which the parties sought to have reviewed. The core of the dispute revolved around whether there had been a change to the likely pattern of care for the child.

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal was required to determine whether the Registrar's existing percentage of care determinations should be revoked and new determinations made. This involved assessing whether the evidence presented demonstrated a significant and ongoing change to the child's living arrangements that would justify altering the established care percentages.

The Tribunal considered the evidence regarding the child's routine and the practical realities of the parents' living situations. It applied the principles of the *Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988*, focusing on the definition of a "change in the likely pattern of care" and the threshold required to justify a departure from existing determinations. The Tribunal found that the evidence did not support a change to the existing percentage of care determinations.

Consequently, the Tribunal set aside the Registrar's decision and substituted its own, finding that the existing percentage of care determinations should remain in place.