Commonwealth Ombudsman's Report Exposes Inaction on Child Support Law Conflict at Services Australia
A damning report by the Commonwealth Ombudsman has found that Services Australia, the agency responsible for child support payments, has failed to apply child support law properly over six years. The investigation reveals that the agency knew its internal practices conflicted with the law but took no action to address the issue.
The conflict in question centers around parents who provide less than 35% of care to a child and are therefore not eligible for financial support under Services Australia's current system. However, the law states that even if one parent provides only a minority share of care, they should still receive some form of support from the other parent.
Services Australia has justified its stance on this issue, claiming that applying the law could lead to unfair outcomes where parents with "little or no" care for children would receive payment. However, the ombudsman's report argues that it is not acceptable for public servants to selectively apply legislation, and the agency's internal practices have resulted in many people being unfairly denied support.
The investigation has found that at least 16,600 people were owed up to $10,000 in child support payments, but they were not informed that the law was not being applied correctly. The report notes that this situation was allowed to persist for six years without any action being taken to address it.
The ombudsman's report has made several recommendations, including retroactively legislating changes to ensure parents doing less than 35% of caring for children cannot claim support but can receive compensation instead. Services Australia has promised to implement these recommendations by the end of January, although legislative amendments are not expected until 2026.
This latest finding highlights concerns about the effectiveness of child support agencies in ensuring fair outcomes for families. The ombudsman's report serves as a stark reminder that the actions of government agencies have real-world consequences for individuals and families who rely on these services to meet their basic needs.
A damning report by the Commonwealth Ombudsman has found that Services Australia, the agency responsible for child support payments, has failed to apply child support law properly over six years. The investigation reveals that the agency knew its internal practices conflicted with the law but took no action to address the issue.
The conflict in question centers around parents who provide less than 35% of care to a child and are therefore not eligible for financial support under Services Australia's current system. However, the law states that even if one parent provides only a minority share of care, they should still receive some form of support from the other parent.
Services Australia has justified its stance on this issue, claiming that applying the law could lead to unfair outcomes where parents with "little or no" care for children would receive payment. However, the ombudsman's report argues that it is not acceptable for public servants to selectively apply legislation, and the agency's internal practices have resulted in many people being unfairly denied support.
The investigation has found that at least 16,600 people were owed up to $10,000 in child support payments, but they were not informed that the law was not being applied correctly. The report notes that this situation was allowed to persist for six years without any action being taken to address it.
The ombudsman's report has made several recommendations, including retroactively legislating changes to ensure parents doing less than 35% of caring for children cannot claim support but can receive compensation instead. Services Australia has promised to implement these recommendations by the end of January, although legislative amendments are not expected until 2026.
This latest finding highlights concerns about the effectiveness of child support agencies in ensuring fair outcomes for families. The ombudsman's report serves as a stark reminder that the actions of government agencies have real-world consequences for individuals and families who rely on these services to meet their basic needs.
. I mean, the ombudsman's report is saying that Services Australia knew their system wasn't right but they just did nothing about it. That's a big problem and it's not okay that people lost out on money they needed to feed their kids or pay rent 
. I don't think it's fair that the agency gets to decide who gets support and who doesn't, especially when there are laws in place to protect parents who aren't getting enough care 
. We need to make sure something changes ASAP so people like those affected can get the help they deserve 
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! Services Australia can't even get child support right? Like, I get it, they're trying to balance fairness with what's fair, but selectively applying the law just isn't right. It's not like these parents are doing it on purpose, they might be struggling or having a rough patch. What about all those 16,600 people who were unfairly denied support? That's a huge number 
this is so unfair people are struggling to make ends meet because of some technicalities, it's not right that they're being denied support just because Services Australia doesn't feel like following the law 
the fact that 16k+ people were affected for six years is just ridiculous 
what kind of system lets this happen? 
at least now we know there's a problem and something's being done about it, but it's gonna take a while to fix 
like, didn't they know child support law was 2000s? anywayz, this is crazy! 16k+ people owed up to $10k but no one told 'em they were being screwed over 
. what's next, are they gonna tell ppl their social sec is too low? 
i mean, fair outcomes for families? sounds like a joke 
. guess we'll have to wait till 2026 for them to get it together 
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IT'S NOT RIGHT THAT PEOPLE HAVE BEEN DENIED SUPPORT BECAUSE OF A TECHNICALITY, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE LAW IS CLEARLY ON THEIR SIDE. 16,600 PEOPLE ARE OUT THERE WHO NEED THIS HELP AND NO ONE SEEMS TO CARE UNTIL THE OMBUDSMAN GETS INVOLVED. I THINK IT'S TIME FOR SOME SERIOUS CHANGES BEING MADE HERE. SERVICES AUSTRALIA SHOULD BE WORKING TO ENSURE THESE KINDS OF MISTAKES DON'T HAPPEN AGAIN IN THE FUTURE. 
This is so crazy! Like, how can an entire agency just ignore a law like this? I mean, I get it, they might be trying to protect people from getting paid when they don't contribute much, but not by doing the opposite and giving everyone less than 35% care some money anyway. That's just not fair to all those families who are struggling.
I'm really disappointed to hear about this, it's just not right that people are being unfairly denied child support payments over a technicality. I mean, 16,600 people were left out in the cold for six years without any explanation or help. It's not like they're asking for the moon here, just some basic care and support from their partner.
Can't believe Services Australia is still getting away with this... I mean, who comes up with these rules anyway? "Oh, let's make it so parents with 35% of care get nothing, but parents with 0% don't need to pay?" 
Unbelievable. I guess it's not surprising they didn't inform people about this messed up system... who needs transparency when you can just let people starve? 
Anyway, glad someone is finally pointing out these errors and hopefully some changes will come in 2026... sooner would be great, but we'll take what we can get 
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They're basically saying 'you don't deserve support because you don't do enough parenting'... Give me a break! 
Oh my goodness, this is just heartbreaking! 16,600 people owed up to $10k in child support payments and not a single one was informed the law wasn't being applied correctly? 
. Services Australia needs to do better, ASAP! 
. Everyone deserves fair support for their kids 
this is so unfair! 
! The idea that parents with less than 35% care for their kids shouldn't get support is just crazy 
. Who decides what's fair? 
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