Di, I don't know what Andyman intended with the reference to "a theft of genetic materials" but it may be a tie to one of the arguments put to oppose men being able to initiate paternity testing without the mothers consent. My understanding is the Australian Law Reform Commission mostly oppose such testing on the basis of privacy issues (not much concern when it comes to forcing disclosure of post seperation financial details though).

Most of us don't think anybody is getting rich from child residency but it can make a substantial difference for someone with few employable skills or a distaste for paid work.
- a bigger share of assets at property settlement.
- Child Support Payments - CSA have an online calculator, pop on and try some scenarios.
- Family Tax Benefit A & B
- Single Parents pension (or whatever it is called)
- Rent Assistance.

Much better money than the dole.
For reference one recent study put the cost of raising a boy at about $6,300 per year. I am familiar with one case where with a single child and doing almost 50/50 shared parenting the mother is receiving over $9,000 a year from the above sources (including $5,000 a year from the father of the child).

Fathers may be happier about child support when it relates to the cost of raising a child rather than relative incomes and when the choices both parents make about earning an income are taken into account. At the moment it is seen more as a privately funded suppliment to the welfare system.

$6,300 pa to raise a child? $17.25 per day? I assume this is predicated on free labour and no consideration of opportunity costs (eg. wages the parent might have earned had s/he not been caring for the child, etc). What a bargain. No wonder Australians in their millions, especially the men, are walking away from their paid jobs to become their child's carers for $17.25 per day.

Mmmmm. Not.

Well put Fiona!

Fiona,

This is a big part of the problem. Ever since degrees in early childhood education became a “requirement” to take care of children, mothers want to be paid an hourly rate for taking care of their own. I’ve heard some commentators ask – where is the love?

Presumably the mother had considered all opportunity costs while deciding on her many choices. Once she’s made them, she should be equally financially responsible for raising the child and not expect payment for being mother.

Fathers would never object if they were asked to contribute half the cost – they would contribute even more if they were given some choices of their own, but fathers supporting “a clump of cells” for the next 18 years without any choice, seems a little one-sided in this choice debate.

Childcare workers get paid less than telemarketers, and have to pay enormous HECS fees for the "Privilege"

Fiona, you might try reading the post again.

No one should be paid to look after their own children. I do support "loss of income" compensation where a parent is left with kids by the other parent walking away.

No support for the idea for someone who has done everything they can to cut the other parent out of the kids lives though. Start with 50/50 shared parenting and equal financial responsibility and there is no basis for child support except when one parent renegs on that responsibility. In context with the abortion debate (and the pro-choice stance), if the male contributer to the bunch of cells does not want kids to result where is his financial responsibility to a child if the mother decides to proceed with the pregnancy.

Think of the dollars in terms of difference to dole payments for the payee and in terms of money taken out of income after tax for the payer.

In the case I mentioned previously - shared care so the dad is already paying half the costs of raising his child and then pays the mother more than the child is costing her to raise. The govt then tips in extra. She chooses to work part time (until recently only on a day when her son was in her care). If the father found a way to cut back his hours (maybe to allow him to interact better with his sons schooling) and has a consequential drop in income C$A continue to assess him based on previous earnings. If he finds a way to earn more they take more.