Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988

If the payer of an enforceable maintenance liability covered by subsection 17(2) is in receipt of a social security pension or a social security benefit, the Registrar may give a written notice to the Secretary:

specifying the payer’s name and setting out sufficient particulars to enable the Secretary to identify the payer; and

instructing the Secretary to make the prescribed periodic deduction from the payer’s social security pension or social security benefit as from the specified day.

If:

a person by whom a child support debt or carer debt is due (whether before or after the commencement of this section) has not paid the debt; and

the person is in receipt of a social security pension or a social security benefit;

specifying the person’s name and setting out sufficient particulars to enable the Secretary to identify the person; and

for a child support debt—instructing the Secretary to:

make the prescribed periodic deduction from the person’s social security pension or social security benefit from a specified day until the debt is paid; or

if the Registrar is satisfied the person is in financial hardship—make the specified lesser periodic deduction from the person’s social security pension or social security benefit from a specified day until the debt is paid; and

for a carer debt—instructing the Secretary to deduct an amount, determined by the Registrar, from the payer’s social security pension or social security benefit from a specified day until the debt is paid.

In making a determination for the purposes of paragraph (2)(e), the Registrar may determine an amount that reduces a person’s pension or benefit to nil if the person has consented to the amount of the deduction being an amount that would reduce the payment to nil.

A notice may be given by electronic transmission or by any other means.

Subsection (2) does not apply to an amount due in respect of a liability covered by section 18.

In this section: