Getting divorced is rarely a happy occasion, but many couples at least manage a civilised one. If you can come to a fair settlement without involving the courts and minimising lawyers, everyone will be better off, both financially and emotionally…

The federal government’s independent auditor has flagged an investigation of the $3.5 billion child support system, a move that could provide further ammunition for Pauline Hanson’s claim that the system is unfair to non-custodial parents…

A WOMAN who claimed her partner was her brother has pleaded guilty to defrauding the Federal Government of more than $115,000 in single-parent welfare payments. Nhu Nguyen, 40, was charged with three counts of fraud, committed between 1999 and 2011. …..

Non-genuine couples who have orchestrated “fake marriages” to gain Australian visas and then claim separate welfare cheques will be stripped of entitlements as part of a nationwide crackdown to be announced by the Federal Government today…

The Department of Human Services has spent more than half a million dollars of taxpayers’ money in legal fees fighting a child support dispute over $6000…

A married couple have chosen to live in Lebanon, but have frequented Australia for the birth of each of their children, solely for the purpose of claiming a raft of family-based welfare payments…

Under new proposals child support would be paid to single parents regardless of whether the other parent contributes..

Fathers who run their own businesses are declaring lower incomes to the Australian Tax Office to avoid paying higher rates of child support, Victoria Legal Aid says. The organisation will discuss its clients’ difficulties in both receiving and paying child …..

In light of the staggering costs of divorce to the national economy in government assistance payments and court costs, Social Services Minister Kevin Andrews said he will act to establish an expert panel on early intervention, examine strategies to lower the divorce rate and better identify and assist vulnerable children and young people…

Separated parents should not miss out on child support payments if the other parent fails to pay their way, a Tasmanian academic has urged the federal government’s child support Inquiry…