Review financial support available to single parents if the other parent is unable to pay their child maintenance payment. We believe more needs to be done to support single-parent households by introducing a government-backed income or interim payment when the other parent cannot contribute.

Single parents can be placed in severe financial hardship when the other parent cannot pay child maintenance due to for example unemployment, illness, absence or avoidance. The financial burden can then fall entirely on the primary caregiver, forcing families into poverty and instability. This directly affects children’s wellbeing, development and access to basic needs. In our view there is currently no safety net to ensure continued financial support. We believe that government intervention is necessary when these arrangements fail.