Royal Commission urgently needed into Child Support System

15th September, 2017

With more reports of Australia's Child Support system and Australian families in crisis, I have today called for a Royal Commission into the Child Support Agency ("CSA").

In meeting many families, parents and children, I hear repeatedly the problems with Child Support and the breakdown of the family unit, including the lack of involvement of one parent, the extended family or the children's grandparents.

With a child support system focused too much on enforcement, and not enough emphasis being placed on having the other parent involved in their child's lives, I firmly believe that a starting position in all family law and child support cases is that both parents must be awarded equal or shared custody of their children.

Our children are our future, and as such its incumbent on all Australians to protect our children. This also includes children having the involvement of both their parents, grandparents and extended families and friends in, and throughout their lives, and as a result major and wholesale change is needed to our family law and child support systems.

The complaints about the Child Support Agency are many and varied. With decisions that seem to change from one case to another, and a system designed to penalise rather than support, it's no wonder Australians are angry and demanding change.

There is also no shortage of evidence suggesting that shared parenting following a separation and ultimate divorce helps offset the negative and social effects on children in these circumstances. Child financial support is equally as important, but so is the interaction and involvement of both parents in their children's lives.

Bill Volkers (Child Support Registrar) overseas and manages a department that is tasked, via the Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988 and the Child Support (Assessment) Act 1989, which effectively established the Child Support Agency and these Acts cover child support for:
     -   Children who were born on or after 1 October 1989;
     -   Children whose parents separated after 1 October 1989; and
     -   Children who had a sibling (brother or sister) born after 1 October 1989.

Unfortunately however, I am seeing more and more cases of what can only be described as examples of misleading and deceptive conduct (verified in telephone recordings) in the collection of child support, or department delegates misusing their positions to apply travel prohibition orders for example that has resulted in parents losing their jobs as a result. In what can only be described as harsh and oppressive behaviour, only a Royal Commission will be able to get to the bottom of the problems and issues within the Child Support Agency.

In the interim, I call for Mr Volkers to be immediately relieved of his position, and any delegate and /or manager within the Child Support Agency to be retrained to firstly change the culture within the department, and secondly for such harsh and oppressive measures used by the department to immediately stop. Any person who has either misused their position, or misled a delegate must also be held accountable for their actions, as the damage this behaviour has done to families, parents and children across Australia is immense.

Finally, the distress that's been caused to families, parents and/ or children, particularly with mental health related issues is such that there are many consequences to these actions, including losing Australians due to suicide, and it's for this reason that enough is enough and hence why I've called for a Royal Commission into the Child Support Agency.

Were Australian's, and we look after one another.

It's time for change Australia, and together we can do it.

Philip Couper