- Absent fathers pay only $5
- By David Wroe
- The Age
- 19/09/2003 Make a Comment
- Contributed by: admin ( 75 articles in 2003 )
Many absent fathers pay only $5 maintenance
Almost 40 per cent of divorced fathers pay $5 a week or less in child support payments, Government figures show.
But a parliamentary inquiry into child custody has also heard that some fathers are paying too much.
And while $5 a week is the legal minimum for non-custodial parents - about nine out of 10 of whom are fathers - many are not even meeting this token amount. As a result, Child Support Agency debts have ballooned to $844 million.
The figures are contained in the Department of Family and Community Services' submission to the child custody inquiry, which notes the meagre payments reflected "the high concentration of payers with low incomes".
Non-custodial parents pay a basic rate of 18 per cent of their gross income above $12,315 - more if they have more than one child to their former spouse.
The income cap is $119,000, meaning fathers on six-figure incomes could pay $19,203 a year - or $369 a week - to support a one-year-old child.
A spokeswoman for the Men's Rights Agency, Sue Price, described the Child Support Agency formula as ridiculous.
"It's extremely inequitable. The operation of the scheme is riddled with inconsistencies."
About 254,000 parents pay the $5 minimum, the department figures show.
The inquiry is investigating the merits of changing family law so courts would begin with the assumption of 50/50 shared custody whenever there is a dispute.
Almost 40 per cent of divorced fathers pay $5 a week or less in child support payments, Government figures show.
But a parliamentary inquiry into child custody has also heard that some fathers are paying too much.
And while $5 a week is the legal minimum for non-custodial parents - about nine out of 10 of whom are fathers - many are not even meeting this token amount. As a result, Child Support Agency debts have ballooned to $844 million.
The figures are contained in the Department of Family and Community Services' submission to the child custody inquiry, which notes the meagre payments reflected "the high concentration of payers with low incomes".
Non-custodial parents pay a basic rate of 18 per cent of their gross income above $12,315 - more if they have more than one child to their former spouse.
The income cap is $119,000, meaning fathers on six-figure incomes could pay $19,203 a year - or $369 a week - to support a one-year-old child.
A spokeswoman for the Men's Rights Agency, Sue Price, described the Child Support Agency formula as ridiculous.
"It's extremely inequitable. The operation of the scheme is riddled with inconsistencies."
About 254,000 parents pay the $5 minimum, the department figures show.
The inquiry is investigating the merits of changing family law so courts would begin with the assumption of 50/50 shared custody whenever there is a dispute.
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