Overview

• Ombudsman investigation into 279 complaints documented paying parents hiding income, withholding payments and using system loopholes to financially abuse ex-partners.
• Unpaid child support debts totalled about $1.9 billion last year, with 153,694 paying parents owing an average of $7,261.
• Women comprised 84 per cent of those missing payments, underscoring the disproportionate impact on mothers and their children.
• Services Australia has agreed to adopt all eight recommendations, including lifting the three-month collection cap and enabling debt recovery from joint bank accounts.
• The government is conducting broader Child Support Scheme reviews with the Australian Taxation Office and other agencies to inform future legislative fixes.