David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

asked the Minister for Human Services, upon notice, on 10 May 2012:

How many change of assessment applications have been processed where: (a) the applicant has substantiated their reason to proceed with the application; or (b) the Child Support Agency has made a change of assessment decision, using information or documents disclosed during court proceedings without consent of the other party, leave from the court, or an acknowledged understanding by the other party that the information was read out in open court.

Kim Carr (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Human Services) Share this | Link to 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.