Oz leaves NZ for dead over child support debtors

Will it take Australian Labor to shame NZ Labour into getting serious about fleeing child support debtors?

National’s Welfare spokeswoman Judith Collins says it beggars belief that Labour has failed to clamp down on liable parents who skip the country with massive child support debts, insisting, instead, that preventing people with child support debt from leaving the country would be ‘draconian’.

“When total child support debt is north of $1.27 billion, and one third of that debt is owed by people who have taken off to Australia, isn’t it time to adopt the Australian Child Support Agency’s approach to the problem?

“In 2006/07, Australian authorities issued 474 Departure Prohibition Orders. They plan to increase that by 4,500.

“Australia is putting us to shame over child support debt. Its Human Services Minister, Joe Ludwig, said:‘ I want to reinforce this message to parents who fail to meet their obligations; if you don’t do the right thing you will be caught and will have to face the consequences…these measures are about putting kids first and ensuring the children of separated parents get the support they need’.

“But on this side of the Tasman, we still have a Government with the same attitude towards child support debtors as former Associate Revenue Minister, David Cunliffe, who said that preventing people with child support debt from leaving the country would be ‘draconian’.

“This is a Government that is happy to nab at the border, people with outstanding parking fines and speeding tickets, but turns a blind eye to the billion-dollar-plus problem of burgeoning child support debt.

“That’s appalling.”

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