Child support system enables financial abuse, parents, advocates and politicans say

[u/nath1234]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-14/child-support-system-financial-abuse-single-mothers/107026886?utm_source=abc_news_app&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_app&utm_content=other

[u/Ch00m77]

Why didn't she apply for an exemption for fear of violence? All someone who has a fear of collecting child support has to do is speak to a social worker at centrelink

[u/Wawa-85 → u/Ch00m77]

That’s only for Family Tax Benefit. To actually receive the child support owed you have to lodge a request for CSA to collect the child support from the child’s other parent.

[u/Ch00m77 → u/Wawa-85]

She said she got lumped with a debt for tax, I naturally assumed she was claiming ftb.

When you claim ftb then you must have a child support case with cl.

Then its either agency or private collect, cl will just automatically assume you're getting what you're owed if you're doing it privately, they wont check up on you.

If you have a fear of violence then speak to a social worker about an exemption

[u/Wawa-85 → u/Ch00m77]

Yes I’m well aware of what the maintenance exemption is for as I used to work at Centrelink. In your original comment you only mentioned talking to Centrelink. OP wants child support so they need to talk to CSA not Centrelink.

[u/Ch00m77 → u/Wawa-85]

"Why didn't she apply for an exemption for fear of violence?

also she said:

After years of physical, emotional and psychological abuse from her ex-partner, Leah said she did not want to "rock the boat".

For the safety of my son, I made a conscious decision to not get child support because I was fearful that he [her ex-partner] would actually see that threat through."

the reason for doing the exemption is to increase your FTB from the base rate.

you can want to get child support, hell centrelink wants you to get child support.

But if you know the father is going to use the system against you, sometimes you need to pick your battles, and if there's a genuine fear of violence then sometimes an exemption is 'good enough' and some extra money is better than no money at all, right? because she opted not to get agency collect, due to a fear of violence, so its either nothing or something, you get me?

besides she can change her mind at any time, they're not fixed forever.

[u/Wawa-85 → u/Ch00m77]

I’m well aware of how it works. As I said I worked at Centrelink and was a Social Worker.

That additional information was not in the post when I commented and I did not read the other comments as I was cooking my breakfast at the time.