Press release: New Zealand Child Support Reform Network.
31 January 2005

For Immediate Release

Simple solution to Paternity Fraud Crises

"The Labour Government needs to act now to allay fears that up to 33% of parents forced to pay Child Support are not the fathers of their children." The simple solution is to give dads and kids a fair go by providing free paternity testing for all fathers subject to Child Support assessments." according Jim Nicolle, spokesperson for the New Zealand Child Support Reform Network

"DNA testing is a simple solution that takes away the guesswork and removes the root cause of the problem. It's a simple irrefutable solution, yet the Government, via Inland Revenue continues to punish defrauded biological fathers by insisting that the mother, the party conducting the fraud, must agree to the paternity test.

Asked why more cases have not come before the Courts Nicolle commented, "In a lot of cases the fraudster would get legal aid to perpetuate the fraud while the father would have to pay thousands of dollars out of his own pocket in court filing fees and legal costs.

"The potential for financial gain from these frauds is huge! If a father is earning say $45,000, who lives by himself and has his daughter on the weekends, he would be paying about $5700 child support for one child. Over 18 years he could pay over $100,000 in child support. That's a lot of money. Responded Nicolle when asked what the financial effect on a father a paternity fraud could have.

Ends

NZCSReform is a network of groups and individuals, that grew out of MEN'S Convoy 2004, working in their area of interest, to bring about a fair and reasonable child support system replacing the current unfair and unreasonable Child Support Regime.

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