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Episode 26

Guest - Alex Johnson

In this week’s episode, I am joined by Alex Johnson, a long-term employee at Child Support. Please note that to protect my guest's identity, I have changed their name and altered their voice.

When I announced this interview and asked for your input, I received over 500 questions across all platforms. I am pleased to share that we managed to cover nearly 80% of the topics you requested.

 During our conversation, my guest agrees that the Child Support formula needs to be updated. They explain that the agency can typically only backdate three months of arrears, extending to nine months only under special circumstances.

We also discuss a wide range of topics, including:

- ART & TRIP (Tax Return Intercept Process)

Centrelink payments and domestic violence exemptions

- Maximum income thresholds ($232,843.00)

- The six formulas used in an assessment

- Section 106A

- Staff burnout and the training provided when mistakes occur

- The backlog of objections and Change of Assessments (COA)

- 28-day time frame for objections

- Why court orders can be "rinse and repeat" & how to avoid wasting time

- The impact of withholding children without justification

- Business rules and regular care

- Understaffing and resource shortages within the CSA

- The Telecommunications Act regarding recording calls

- Debt offsets and late penalty fees (and where those fees go)

- Why the CSA will not pause payments

- How payments adjust when a child turns 18

- The challenges of working within the agency

- MTAWE (Male Total Average Weekly Earnings) in child support assessments

- Garnishing / freezing accounts

- Different departments in child support

- Paying parent vs Receiving Parent

- Private arrangements

- Family court issues vs Child Support Issues

- Overdue child support / Departure Prohibition Orders (DPO)

- Reporting income (Incrementally)

- CSA staff receive intense 12 weeks initial training package

If you are struggling to navigate the child support system, this is an episode you don't want to miss. We cover a wide range of topics, and it is likely that any questions or queries you have will be answered in this discussion.

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