Child support crackdown sees parents hit with bills at airport
The government has intensified its efforts to block mums and dads from leaving the country until they pay their child support bills with one NSW parent forced to repay $40,000 before they could board a plane.
NSW
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Penny-pinching parents living overseas are shirking their obligation to their kids back in Australia amassing a child support debt to the tune of $260 million.
In a bid to end the shameful behaviour, the Morrison government has intensified its efforts to block dodgy dads and mums from leaving the country until they pay their child support debt.
More than 1000 parents were served with a departure prohibition order between July and December — almost a 50 per cent increase over the same period in 2017.
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In one case a NSW parent who had been living overseas for several years and was not paying child support was hit with an order when they flew back into Australia for a brief visit late last year.
The individual was forced to repay about $40,000 before they were allowed to return overseas.
The crackdown helped to recoup more than $15 million paid to parents who have custody in just six months, $2.5 million more than the total amount recovered during the entire previous year.
Human Services Minister Michael Keenan said it was unfortunate some parents were deliberately choosing to do the wrong thing by their children.
“Paying child support is not a choice, it is a moral and legal obligation,” Minister Keenan said.
“Those who shirk their responsibilities are literally depriving their children of a better life and we make no apologies for using these tough measures to make them pay up.
“The Government’s message to parents is simple, if you can afford an overseas holiday, then you can afford to support your children.
“That should be your first priority, not jetting off for a break in a foreign country.”
The largest amount ever recovered from a parent as a lump sum was $350,000 in late 2017.
The parent, who lived overseas, made the payment just hours after they were stopped at an Australian airport and were told they would not be able to leave until they settled the debt.
There were currently 20,815 parents living overseas with child support debts totalling $263 million.
Parents with a child support debt living overseas owed $12,634 each on average — more than double the average $5865 debt of parents living in Australia.
In total there were almost 229,000 parents with child support debts totalling $1.6 billion.
A quarter of those parents — 58,643 — live in NSW and owe a total of $370 million or an average of $6315 each.
Human Services works with Australian Border Force to stop parents who have been red flagged with a debt leaving Australia.
Other measures used by the government to recover child support debts include deducting
payments from benefits or wages, interception of tax refunds and debt collection through
third parties.
Originally published as Child support crackdown sees parents hit with bills at airport
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