Whilst the
question of Child Support in Australia is generally dealt with by the Child
Support Agency, there are a limited number of situations when the Court can
deal with the question of Child Support. A recent decision by Judge Neville in
the case of Abraham’s and Sim, reminds us that the court can make Orders for
maintenance and reimbursement of expenses associated with the birth of a child.
This is only
possible when the Mother and Father are not married to each other and the
maintenance element relates only to a short period before and after the birth
of the child. In this case the Mother sought an order that the Father should
pay to her a total sum of $27,061.00 and the Court ordered that the Father
should pay to the Mother a total sum of $14,000.00. This is in addition to the
ongoing Child Support Assessment issued by the Child Support Agency and does
not take into account any payment of a baby bonus. 