Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Hansard source

The answer to the honourable senator's question is as follows:

The department is unable to provide statistics as to the number of Change of Assessment applications where customers have relied on court documents to substantiate their application or where the department has made a Change of Assessment decision using court documents without:

(i) the consent of the other party,

(ii) leave from the court, or

(iii) an acknowledged understanding by that other party that the information was read in open court.

It is not possible to precisely determine the number of past child support decisions that relied in some way on court information or documents that were provided by CSP customers.

Recent estimates are that customers provide court information in approximately ten per cent of Change of Assessment applications. In recent years the department has received approximately 20,000 Change of Assessment applications each year.