Comment on the 2015 report of the Parliamentary Inquiry into the Child Support Program

Abstract

On 27 March 2014, the then Minister for Social Services, the Hon Kevin Andrews MP, asked the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs to inquire into and report on the Australian Child Support Program. Some 16 months later (20 July 2015), following an extensive public consultation process, the Committee tabled its report and concluded that the Child Support Program was “generally functioning as intended”. In this article, the authors: (a) examine the background and political undercurrents to the Inquiry; (b) consider the scope of the Inquiry’s Terms of Reference; (c) review the sources of the written and oral submissions; and (d) examine the Committee’s recommendations. It is argued that while many of the recommendations look sensible and have merit, there is likely to be little capacity or political will to act on the recommendations in the current economic and political environment.