The 2026/27 federal budget handed down on Tuesday night included almost $183 million to address abuse in the child-support system and help children get the financial backing they are owed.
The funding allocation comes after shocking findings by the Commonwealth Ombudsman in June that the child-support system was being weaponised and strategically exploited by perpetrators of family violence to continue coercion, control and harm following a separation.
The funding will go towards reforms across the system and include measures to improve assessment, payment and compliance processes.
From July 1 2027, changes are promised to make it easier for parents to collect child support and reduce the risk of pressure, coercion or forced conflict between former partners.
The tax office will also get funding to allow it to prosecute parents who repeatedly fail to submit their tax returns in a bid to distort the amount of child support they have to pay.
The government will also strengthen the enforcement of child-support payments and stop people with large debts from travelling overseas until they have paid what they owe.
Women's Legal Services Australia described the proposed changes as one of the most significant actions taken against systems abuse in the nation's recent history.
"When households are under financial strain and fuel and inflation costs are rising, the risk of violence at home grows," executive director Adrianne Walters said.
"Investment in making the child-support system safer and tackling the shocking levels of financial abuse is both the right thing to do and the smart economic decision."
But the service said the budget missed an opportunity to provide targeted investments in women's legal services to meet the demand of those fleeing violence.
Around 1000 women a week were being turned away from the service due to insufficient resources, Ms Walters said.
"Each woman turned away is more exposed to violence (and) more likely to face long-term economic hardship," she said.
No to Violence chief executive Phillip Ripper said reforms to systems needed to be matched with other investments in legal assistance and frontline supports.
"We know 16 per cent of Australian women, around 1.6 million people, have experienced economic abuse by a partner (and) we also know the overwhelming majority of parents owed child support are women and their children," he said.
"But reforms must also be matched with investment in family violence services and frontline supports, because disrupting systems abuse can trigger backlash and escalation from men using violence."
1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)
Lifeline 13 11 14
Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491
14°C