The Australian
4 September 2006
More divorced dads caring for kids
By Patricia Karvelas
Divorced dads are increasingly becoming the primary carers of their
children: in the first six months of this year, the number of
fathers receiving child support payments from their former wives has
doubled.
Child Support Agency assistant general manager David Mole said new
agency figures revealed separated fathers now played a much greater
role in the lives of their children.
More than 21 per cent of cases registered with the agency in the
first six months of this year had a male receiving child support,
double the rate across the total of all CSA cases.
Increasingly, parents paying child support also have more contact
with their children.
In June, 9.1 per cent of paying parents had child contact for 30 per
cent or more nights in the year compared with 5.1 per cent in June
2000.
"Across the whole caseload for the agency and we're talking
700,000 child support cases the rate is about 10 per cent of
fathers receiving child support. But what we've seen for the first
six months of this year is an increase to a little over 21 per cent
so it is quite a significant increase and a really clear trend to a
shift towards fathers playing a more direct role," he said.
"I think it's a number of factors there's changing community
attitudes and it's also a result of the changes coming through in
the family law system. That's aimed at helping families deal more co
operatively in separations and trying wherever possible to allow
parents to work through these things together rather than having to
go through the costly and time consuming process in the courts."
Lone Fathers Association president Barry Williams said the new
figures showed the courts had been put on notice that they couldn't
make "stupid decisions".
"I think now that they realise that men have stood up (to) be
counted and they want their kids as much as the mother wants them,"
he said.
The Howard Government has made dramatic changes to the child support
system, which include allowing divorced fathers who see their
children a day a week to have their payments cut by 24 per cent.
The $5 a week minimum payment has increased to $6, and if the
father's earnings drop, his child support can be reduced.
The CSA is also investigating more non paying fathers and there is
new face to face contact with child support bureaucrats.
Fifteen family relationship centres have been opened to allow
parents to resolve their problems outside the court system.