Child Support

FaHCSIA helps parents and families have choices and opportunities for the financial support of children through the development, implementation and monitoring of policies that promote parental responsibility through the payment of child support.

Changes to the Child Support Scheme

The Child Support Scheme and parts of family assistance have changed to better balance the interests of both parents and be more focused on the needs and costs of children. From 1 July 2008 all child support payments have been reassessed against a new child support formula.

The major change to the Scheme is the introduction of a new child support formula, but there are also changes to the way child support agreements work and the way child support and family assistance work when parents share care.

More information on the changes to the Child Support Scheme is available on CSA's website and more information on the changes to family assistance is available from the Family Assistance Office website.

Results of Stage Three Changes to the Child Support Scheme

The Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) has assessed the impact of Stage Three of the Child Support Scheme reforms on affected parents. The results provided in the fact sheet and report below are a combination of modelled Family Tax Benefit (FTB) and actual changes in child support assessments, based on the new child support formula. These results are subject to a number of caveats listed in the report.

• Summary of the report on Stage Three changes to the Child Support Scheme
• Report on Stage Three changes to the Child Support Scheme - PDF [234 kB]
  

The Child Support Scheme

• Reforms to the Child Support Scheme
• History of the Child Support Scheme

Delivery of the Child Support Scheme

Payments, services and customer information related to child support are delivered through the Child Support Agency and family assistance through the Family Assistance Office.

The Child Support Agency administers the Child Support Scheme and the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs is responsible for child support policy.

Useful links

More information and resources for parents, legal practitioners, employers, researchers and other interested parties

Related information

House of Representative's report

• Every Picture Tells A Story: Inquiry into child custody arrangements in the event of family separation
• A new family law system Government Response to Every picture tells a story
  
  

Taskforce report

• In the Best Interests of Children - Reforming the Child Support Scheme - Summary Report and Recommendations of the Ministerial Taskforce on Child Support - Summary report PDF [283kb]
• In the Best Interests of Children - Reforming the Child Support Scheme - Report of the Ministerial Taskforce on Child Support - Full report PDF [1,475kb]
• Costs of children: research commissioned by the Ministerial Taskforce on Child Support
  This publication is a collection of three reports on the costs of children in Australian families: 'The estimated costs of children in Australian families in 2005-06', 'Updated costs of children using Australian budget standards' and 'Costs of children and equivalence scales: a review of methodological issues and Australian estimates'. The research was commissioned by the Ministerial Taskforce on Child Support.
  
  

Legislative changes

• Legislation for Stage 1 changes - the Initial Measures Act
• Legislation for Stage 2 and 3 changes - the New Formula and Other Measures Act