Senator the Hon Katy Gallagher
Minister Finance
Minister for Women
Minister for the Public Service
Minister for Government Services
The Hon Tanya Plibersek MP
Minister for Social Services
The Albanese Labor Government will today introduce legislation to make the child support system safer and help more children get the support they are owed.
The Child Support and Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Ending Financial Abuse in the Child Support Scheme) Bill will deliver the first stage of the reforms we announced in the 2026-27 Budget, the most significant reforms to the child support system in decades.
For too long, the child support system has been manipulated to cause harm to children and parents. This has left too many children without the financial support they need.
The Bill puts the safety of parents first and closes gaps that have allowed family and domestic violence perpetrators to continue causing harm.
This includes reforms to end the current legal requirement that any information provided by one parent during an application or objection be shared with the other parent, even if sharing that information could put children or a parent at risk.
Debt recovery will also be fairer. Families will be supported to recover more unpaid child support debts when they move into Agency Collect arrangements, and new pathways will be created to remove the harm that can arise from Family Tax Benefit debts caused by child support payers against their former partners.
The Bill also increases and simplifies access to child support for children living overseas, making it easier for families to access the support they need.
Further legislation will be brought forward in the coming months to fully deliver on our 2026-27 Budget commitments to make the Child Support Scheme safer and more effective
