‘Deadbeat’ parents pursued for support

CANBERRA — Record numbers of Australian parents with outstanding child support debts are being stopped from traveling overseas, with more than one parent a day being prevented from boarding planes or ships until they pay.

Under Australian law, both parents in a divorce settlement are expected to contribute to the financial support of their children. The child support payment amounts are decided by the courts.

Human Services Minister Michael Keenan on Sunday highlighted the increasing problem of “deadbeat” parents in Australia, a term given to those parents who deliberately ignored court orders and refused to pay for support of their children who were often living with their former partners.

Keenan said many of those parents stopped at airports and sea ports were able to immediately pay their debts, which he said showed they had the means to support their children but were choosing not to.

After being stopped at an airport last year, one parent paid $266,000 in a single payment. Another parent paid $42,000 on the spot, while, in a separate case, a parent who had been residing overseas and returned briefly to Australia paid $21,000 in a lump sum.

“If a parent can afford to take an overseas holiday ... they can and should be made to pay what they owe,” Keenan said in a statement on Sunday. “The welfare of their children should be their first priority, not getting a tan on a beach in Bali.”

In the first 10 months of this financial year, 358 people were stopped at the point of departure and given a choice to pay the outstanding child support or cancel their travel plans, surpassing the previous fullyear record.

Those 358 parents repaid $7.9 million in child maintenance, eclipsing the record of $7.5 million repaid by 333 people last financial year.

Under a joint operation between Australia’s Child Support Agency and Border Force, parents who owe their former partners and children support can be prevented from traveling overseas until they pay up.

Keenan said many of those stopped had repeatedly ignored attempts by the Department of Human Services to help them pay through voluntarily repayment plans.

“This is money first of all that you owe your own children, and we believe that should be your priority, quite frankly, rather than traveling overseas,” he told Sky News.

When a parent is stopped and pays the outstanding child support, the money goes to the department and it is then transferred to the parent who is entitled to receive the funds.