Media Release
Financial investigators wanted to crackdown on dead beat parents
04 August 2006
Minister for Human Services, The Hon. Joe Hockey MP, has announced a major recruitment drive to crackdown on parents who don’t pay child support.
“As Minister responsible for the Child Support Agency, I find it disappointing that some parents hide their real income to avoid providing financial support for their children,“ Minister Hockey said.
“I am not going to sit back and let that happen. For this reason, I secured an additional $143 million over four years in compliance funding in the Federal Budget.
“This will enable us to hire extra staff to track down those dead beat parents, whether they are Mums or Dads.”
The first phase of this recruitment begins this weekend with advertisements across the country.
The Child Support Agency (CSA) is seeking to hire up to 120 additional financial investigators, with teams established in each capital city.
The cost of this compliance phase is $46 million with an extra $116 million returned to Australian children of separated parents.”
“We are looking for people with a financial investigation background who can piece together complex information,“ Minister Hockey said.
“Most parents do the right thing and financially support their children after a separation, but there are a minority who try to avoid paying. Unfortunately we are seeing increasingly sophisticated means by which people are hiding their income. I need these financial investigators to uncover what’s going on, particularly when you see a parent with an apparently lavish lifestyle but claiming they have no income.
“Just as importantly we will be investigating parents who fail to declare their earnings in an attempt to receive more child support from their ex-partner,” Minister Hockey said.
Media Advisor: Minister Hockey - Wendy Black - 0437 978 028
Media Contact: CSA (07) 3001 4633 or 0419 448 306, media@csa.gov.au