A concerning trend has been identified in Australia, where child support is being used as a strategic tool for economic abuse. A recent report from Women’s Legal Services Australia (WLSA) reveals that some fathers deliberately manipulate their financial declarations to minimize or evade child support payments.
According to The Guardian, there are websites that guide men on how to reduce their child support payments by advising them to work for cash, earn less, or declare less income. They might also become self-employed to divert money elsewhere. Additionally, these men often delay reporting any increases in their income and postpone filing their tax returns.
“Non-payment, underpayment, and delayed payment of child support must be nationally recognized as a form of economic abuse that has long-lasting impacts on women and children, entrenching their ongoing financial disadvantage,” stated Lara Freidin, WLSA’s executive officer.
Coercive Control and Financial Manipulation
This misuse of the child support system is not an isolated issue but part of a broader pattern of coercive and controlling behavior. Women who escape abusive relationships find themselves trapped in a new form of abuse—financial coercion.
WLSA reports that approximately 80% of women indicate that child support payments are either deliberately withheld or not paid at all. Similarly, eight out of ten women also report that there is a deliberate effort to minimize financial liabilities by their ex-partners. This manipulation of the system severely impacts the financial stability and recovery of survivors, increasing their dependency and vulnerability.
“Mothers are missing out on supplemental income to support their children, and fathers who have perpetrated family violence are able to avoid paying any child support,” Freidin said.
The report highlights that these men often perceive the payments as benefiting the mother directly, rather than supporting the child, which grants them what is considered an undue level of control.
Systematic Reform and Enhanced Protections
The ongoing abuse through economic manipulation has prompted urgent calls for systemic reforms. The federal government has initiated steps by setting up an expert panel and a stakeholder consultation group to review the child support formula and enhance compliance measures.
However, as WLSA suggests, these measures are just the beginning. There is a critical need for the legal recognition of economic abuse and the implementation of robust mechanisms that prevent the exploitation of child support systems. Such reforms are essential not only to close loopholes that permit financial abuse but also to support the victims in rebuilding their lives without the overbearing control of an abusive ex-partner.
Government and Community Response
The government has committed $5.1 million over five years to study non-compliance and how to help parents if private financial arrangements break down. This investment aims to ensure that compliance with child support payments is strictly enforced.
However, as advocates like WLSA argue, comprehensive reform is required to transform the system into one that genuinely protects and empowers survivors of domestic abuse.
Featured image: Child support is often weaponized as a form of economic abuse. Source: Pixel-Shot / Adobe Stock.
