| << PREVIOUS | NEXT >> |
| [ CONTENTS ] |
Annual Report 06–07
Output 1: Core Department—Performance—Implement child support reforms
In 2006, the Australian Government announced a package of reforms to the Child Support Scheme and to the way the Child Support Agency (CSA) delivers its services. The reforms support the concurrent reform of the family law system which aims to encourage shared parental responsibility and to strengthen relationships in intact and separated families.
The Core Department is working with CSA, Centrelink and the Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs to implement the Child Support Scheme reforms in three stages. Stages 1 and 2 were successfully implemented on 1 July 2006 and 1 January 2007 respectively. The changes implemented included increasing the minimum child support payment, reducing the income cap on high-income earners, and providing customer access to a mechanism for reviewing CSA decisions through the Social Security Appeals Tribunal. The final and most complex stage, which includes the introduction of a new formula for calculating child support payments, will be implemented on 1 July 2008.
The Core Department and CSA continued to work together to implement improvements to the way CSA delivers its services. Further information about the child support reforms can be found in Output 2—Child Support Agency.