Peg - Sorry I have a few questions.

I would like to know why CS shouldn't be put towards rent if needed? Yes the parties have seperated, but a one bedroom flat can be alot cheaper than a 3 bedroom home needed for the average family. Sure its her choice to live in a 3 bedroom home over a 1 bedroom flat, but would it be fair to expect her to live in a tiny flat just because that extra $50 a week she needs is coming from CS? Should she say no to the house & yard just because the CS shouldn't be used for that?

& why shouldn't it be put towards petrol, rego & car insurance? These are all needed for children. Some people do not have the luxury of public transport. I mean NO access to public transport at all. If that little bit of CS put petrol in her car so she can do some shopping so what?

&, lastly, if she's recieved her $500 for the week, paid $250 rent, spent $200 on food, paid $30 off her electricity bill & $20 off school fees, there's nothing left. All the responsibilities are taken care of, its been 18 months since she had a hair cut, so when her CS came in she used that for a hair cut & lunch with a friend. So what? Should she have used her own money for that? Then been short for the shopping, but gone & bought the kids a pair of new shoes each, even though they didn't need them just because thats what CS is meant to be used for?

All the single mum's I know have their centrelink income every week. They use that every week for the basics, because that money IS guaranteed to be there every week. If they are lucky enough to recieve CS that week, it goes on extra's. Taking the kids out to lunch (which would include using it for her lunch coz her money is already gone), buying them some clothes they need, but then she would have to use some to put petrol in her car to get to the shops.

As long as the basic necessities are covered & the kids have what they need, who cares where that particular money goes? I know there are women who get less centrelink, because of the amount of CS they get. If the ex is a high earner, she could be getting $500 a week in CS, then only $100 from centrelink (I know, rediculus amounts, just an example), but what then. Is she supposed to use the CS to cover all living expenses? Or put her young children in day care, get a full time job, lose more money from CS & centrelink & not have the choice of being home with her children just because she it isn't fair for her to use the CS money to live.