I got Child Support Australia to put a travel ban on my ex until he paid up

This Facebook post had many mums reacting and commenting – there are billions of dollars worth of child support owed in Australia- this mum’s experience may help you recover a child support debt too!

The best of the Australian single mum Facebook support group

I just won several year’s worth of owed child support – even though my child is now an adult. I hope other separated mums can use the same free methods I describe here to get their own owed child support.

I am writing here about my child support evasion struggles with my Ex, and how I got a lump sum of all the money owed to me by using Child Support Australia (CSA).

My daughter turned 20 this year, so it has been two years since she turned 18 and Child Support Australia (CSA) stopped calculating owed child support payments from my ex. They child support owed totalled over $30,000.

“I called Child Support and begged them to help…”

There were times when I was calling the Child Support Agency in desperation asking for them to do more – but somehow there wasn’t much they could do because of the so called loop holes which enabled deadbeat dads to side-step paying.

Child Support froze my ex’s bank account

For example, in 2018 Child Support froze my ex’s bank account. Although he had enough money in his account to pay off his CS debt, CSA failed to get it withdrawn from his bank account because his account was a joint account with his new wife.

How to stop your Ex at the airport

I had been hearing that my Ex was travelling overseas regularly – as frequently as every few months. It was really frustrating to know that he was spending fun money on himself and not on basic necessity money for our child.

An airport ban – the Departure Probation Order

I decided to ask the Child Support Agency if they could do a Departure Probation Order (DPO) on my Ex.

A DPO is a legal order that would stop him from leaving the country for as long as he had an unpaid child support debt.

CSA agreed that they could put a Departure Order on my ex, but only if I could give them precise information, such as the date and time of my Ex’s travels.

This was an impossible condition for me to meet.
I live in Sydney and my Ex was on the other side of Australia, in Perth. I didn’t see any of his friends anymore and only heard about his travels overseas third-hand after they had happened.

So I gave up on it.

I thought it was just impossible.

That was, until a couple of months ago…

My Ex got banned from traveling

A friend of mine called and told me she had heard that my ex got DPO’d at the airport!

It was such a joy to hear, and I felt justice had finally been done.

My Ex realised he was caught! He couldn’t travel freely anymore like he wanted to.

He got someone to get in touch with me. He told them to offer me $15.000 as a settlement – less than half the child support what was owed – and get him released from the DPO.

I refused to settle for less child support than I was owed

I told them under no circumstances would I accept any of his offers other than the full amount of Child Support owed.

Meanwhile I got in touch with a Legal Aid solicitor and decided I would await the CSA’s decision on what the outcome of the DPO situation would be.

The Legal Aid solicitor told me that he was surprised that I had been able to obtain a Departure Probation Order, because they were usually only done for amounts greater than my thirty thousand dollar debt. But when he learned that my Ex had hardly paid me any child support over the years, he said he understood why the DPO had been put on him.

Child support evaders get penalised by CSA

Child support payers who refuse to pay get penalised by the CSA. Each non payment attracts penalty’s – plus interest.

So the child support debt can accumulate to an even larger amount over the years.

My Legal Aid solicitor estimated my Ex’s debt could be anywhere between $100.000 to $300.000 – most probably the latter amount, and so the justification for a DPO to be ordered against him.

I told the CSA that I had learned about the DPO from a friend. They confirmed the DPO, but didn’t tell me much. My Legal Aid solicitor told me that the CSA were said probably negotiating with him.

My Ex had to pay or go to court

He thought that the CSA probably gave him an ultimatum.
For him to pay the debt owed and they would waive their own considerable penalty charges on top and lift the DPO.

Or if he still refused to pay the debt, they would take him to court which would add another $150.000 to $200.000 worth of court fees on top of the already large amount of debt and added penalties and interest.

My Legal Aid solicitor’s parting words to me was “it looks like you will get the money soon.”

This morning I jumped up from my seat when I saw the bank notification of the deposited amount of the child support debt owed – paid in full!

It was such a lovely Birthday present to me!

Don’t give up on your unpaid child support

So don’t give up pursuing what is yours. Keep getting your child support amount assessed. Don’t lose hope about non-payments, because I have got the whole amount in full today.

I hope this will raise your hope and belief in getting your long-owed child support justice.

An Australian single mum and member of the Australian Single Mum Support Facebook Group

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