Social Services Legislation Amendment (Child Support and Family Assistance Technical Amendments) Act 2024

Administered by Department of Social Services

Legislation au C2024A00011 In force Act

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Social Services Legislation Amendment (Child Support and Family Assistance Technical Amendments) Act 2024

 

No. 11, 2024

 

 

 

 

 

An Act to amend the law relating to child support and family assistance, and for related purposes

 

 

Contents

1 Short title

2 Commencement

3 Schedules

Schedule 1—Amendments

Part 1—Amendments

A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999

Child Support (Assessment) Act 1989

Part 2—Application and validation provisions

 

 

Social Services Legislation Amendment (Child Support and Family Assistance Technical Amendments) Act 2024

No. 11, 2024

 

 

 

An Act to amend the law relating to child support and family assistance, and for related purposes

[Assented to 28 March 2024]

The Parliament of Australia enacts:

1  Short title

  This Act is the Social Services Legislation Amendment (Child Support and Family Assistance Technical Amendments) Act 2024.

2  Commencement

 (1) Each provision of this Act specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.

 

Commencement information

Column 1

Column 2

Column 3

Provisions

Commencement

Date/Details

1.  The whole of this Act

The day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.

29 March 2024

Note: This table relates only to the provisions of this Act as originally enacted. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this Act.

 (2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this Act. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this Act.

3  Schedules

  Legislation that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect according to its terms.

Schedule 1—Amendments

Part 1—Amendments

A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999

1  Paragraph 35F(1)(b)

Omit “the determination; or”, substitute “the determination.”.

2  Paragraph 35F(1)(c)

Repeal the paragraph.

3  Paragraph 35P(2)(a)

Omit “disregarding paragraph 35F(1)(c),”.

4  Paragraph 35Q(2)(a)

Omit “disregarding paragraph 35F(1)(b),”.

Child Support (Assessment) Act 1989

5  Paragraph 53(1)(b)

Omit “the determination; or”, substitute “the determination.”.

6  Paragraph 53(1)(c)

Repeal the paragraph.

7  Paragraph 54F(2)(a)

Omit “disregarding paragraph 53(1)(c),”.

8  Paragraph 54H(2)(a)

Omit “disregarding paragraph 53(1)(c),”.

Part 2—Application and validation provisions

9  Definitions

In this Part:

Child Support Act means the Child Support (Assessment) Act 1989.

Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act means the Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988.

Family Assistance Act means the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999.

Family Assistance (Administration) Act means the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) (Administration) Act 1999.

10  Application of amendments—family assistance

The amendments of the Family Assistance Act made by this Schedule apply in relation to a determination that is to be or has been made under section 35A or 35B of that Act on or after the commencement of this item if the change of care day for the individual, and the child, concerned occurs on or after that commencement.

11  Application of amendments—child support

The amendments of the Child Support Act made by this Schedule apply in relation to a determination that is to be or has been made under section 49 or 50 of that Act on or after the commencement of this item if the change of care day for the responsible person, and the child, concerned occurs on or after that commencement.

12  Validation of percentage of care determinations—family assistance

(1) If:

 (a) a determination that was made, or purportedly made, in relation to an individual and a child in the relevant period under section 35A or 35B of the Family Assistance Act for the purposes of section 35C of that Act would, apart from this item, be wholly or partly invalid or ineffective only because of the operation of paragraph 35F(1)(c) of that Act, as in force in that period; and

 (b) the change of care day for the individual and the child occurred in the relevant period;

then the determination, and any other decision covered by subitem (2), is as valid and effective, and is taken always to have been as valid and effective, as it would have been had section 35F of the Family Assistance Act, as amended by this Act, been in force during that period.

(2) This subitem covers a decision that was made under the Family Assistance Act or the Family Assistance (Administration) Act in the relevant period in relation to the individual or another individual in connection with the making of the determination.

(3) This item does not affect rights or liabilities arising between parties to proceedings heard and finally determined by a court before the commencement of this item, to the extent that those rights or liabilities arose from, or were affected by, a determination, or other decision, referred to in subitem (1).

(4) In this item:

relevant period means the period beginning on 23 May 2018 and ending at the end of the day before the commencement of this item.

13  Validation of percentage of care determinations—child support

(1) If:

 (a) a determination that was made, or purportedly made, in relation to a responsible person for a child in the relevant period under section 49 or 50 of the Child Support Act for the purposes of section 51 of that Act would, apart from this item, be wholly or partly invalid or ineffective only because of the operation of paragraph 53(1)(c) of that Act, as in force in that period; and

 (b) the change of care day for the responsible person for the child occurred in the relevant period;

then the determination, and any other decision covered by subitem (2), is as valid and effective, and is taken always to have been as valid and effective, as it would have been had section 53 of the Child Support Act, as amended by this Act, been in force during that period.

(2) This subitem covers a decision that was made under the Child Support Act or the Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act in the relevant period in relation to the responsible person or another person in connection with the making of the determination.

(3) This item does not affect rights or liabilities arising between parties to proceedings heard and finally determined by a court before the commencement of this item, to the extent that those rights or liabilities arose from, or were affected by, a determination, or other decision, referred to in subitem (1).

(4) In this item:

relevant period means the period beginning on 23 May 2018 and ending at the end of the day before the commencement of this item.

 

 

 

 

[Minister’s second reading speech made in—

House of Representatives on 28 February 2024

Senate on 21 March 2024]

(29/24)

 

Overview

The Social Services Legislation Amendment (Child Support and Family Assistance Technical Amendments) Act 2024 was enacted to amend the law relating to child support and family assistance. This Act addresses technical issues in the existing legislation to ensure the correct application of child support and family assistance provisions. The Parliament of Australia passed this Act to rectify inconsistencies and improve the administration of child support and family assistance schemes. The policy objective is to streamline the legislative framework and ensure that the provisions are applied correctly and consistently, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of these support mechanisms. The Act will come into effect on 29 March 2024, the day after receiving Royal Assent. The amendments primarily target the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999 and the Child Support (Assessment) Act 1989, making specific technical changes to certain sections to address identified gaps in the current legislative provisions. Additionally, the Act includes provisions for the validation of certain determinations made during a specified relevant period, ensuring that those determinations remain valid and effective despite any legislative changes.

Scope and Application

The Social Services Legislation Amendment (Child Support and Family Assistance Technical Amendments) Act 2024 applies to amendments made to two key pieces of legislation, namely the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999 and the Child Support (Assessment) Act 1989. These amendments are intended to refine and correct certain technical aspects of the child support and family assistance schemes, ensuring that they operate effectively and accurately. The Act applies to any determinations made under the amended Acts after the commencement date of the Act, specifically where the change of care day for the relevant individual or child occurs on or after the commencement. This means that the changes will impact families and individuals involved in child support and family assistance matters who experience a change of care on or after the Act's commencement. The Act's provisions are designed to validate certain determinations made during a specified period, ensuring that any previous invalidity due to certain technicalities is rectified, thereby maintaining the integrity of the determinations. The Act does not specify any exclusions or exemptions and applies across the Commonwealth of Australia, as it amends federal legislation. The application and validation provisions ensure that the changes are applied consistently and fairly, with particular attention to the timeframes and circumstances in which the amendments take effect.

Key Provisions

The Social Services Legislation Amendment (Child Support and Family Assistance Technical Amendments) Act 2024, as assented on 28 March 2024, makes specific amendments to the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999 and the Child Support (Assessment) Act 1989. Section 1 of the Act names it, while Section 2 sets the commencement date, with the whole Act taking effect the day after it receives Royal Assent, which is 29 March 2024. The Act modifies the Family Assistance Act by omitting certain references in paragraphs 35F(1)(b) and 35F(1)(c), and repealing paragraph 35F(1)(c). It also alters the Child Support Act by omitting references in paragraphs 53(1)(b) and 53(1)(c), and repealing paragraph 53(1)(c). These changes are detailed in Schedule 1, Part 1, which specifies the amendments to be made to the existing legislation. The Act imposes several obligations on parties and entities it governs. It mandates that the amendments to the Family Assistance Act apply to determinations made under sections 35A or 35B of the Act on or after the commencement date, provided the change of care day for the individual and the child occurs on or after that date. Similarly, amendments to the Child Support Act apply to determinations made under sections 49 or 50 on or after the commencement date, if the change of care day for the responsible person and the child occurs on or after that date. Additionally, the Act validates percentage of care determinations made during the relevant period, ensuring that such determinations, and related decisions, remain valid and effective as if the amended sections had been in force. Under the Act, any breach of its provisions may result in civil or criminal consequences, depending on the severity and intent behind the breach. While the Act does not explicitly detail specific penalties within its main text, breaches of related acts such as the Family Assistance Act or the Child Support Act may incur penalties as stipulated in those acts. These penalties could include fines or other civil remedies for non-compliance, with potential criminal penalties for more severe breaches. The Act ensures that its amendments are applied retroactively to certain determinations made within a specified period, thereby maintaining the integrity and effectiveness of past decisions that might have been otherwise invalid due to technical errors in the original legislation.

Legal classification tags

Area of Law
Family Law
Instrument
Act
Concepts
Commencement Provisions
Repeal & Amendment
Validation of Determinations
Application of Amendments

Interactions

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Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.