SOUTH AUSTRALIAN BRANCH OF THE LONE FATHERS ASSOCIATION Inc. "Children need their Father as much as their Mother" LFAA National Peak Body

Visit FamilyAdvantage - NEW Child Support System

The Child Support Agency (CSA) is responsible for the majority of male suicide in Australia, newspaper stories indicate.

This is truly a distressing article and we apologise for any upset it may cause, but we feel that this unbelievable situation, where the CSA can get away with what many would consider murder must be publicised as loudly and as clearly as possible.

Suicide Victim “hounded” over child support 

By Roderick Campbell 

It was “a tragic indictment of the system” that a Canberra man had commited suicide holding a letter of demand from The Child Support Agency, the ACT Coroners Court was told yesterday. 

Barrister Richard Thomas said the receipt of the letter two days before Warren Gilberts death in August had “tipped him over the edge”. 

He said Mr Gilbert, 28, had died from carbon monoxide poisoning in a friends car after being “hounded” by the CSA. 

The CSA had been taking 47percent of his gross salary in tax and another 30 percent in child support.  With a massive 80 percent of his wages gone, Mr Gilbert had $150 a week to live on. 

Mr Gilbert’s body was found on August 20 in a car parked at the Namadgi National Park visitors center. 

Constable Clorinda Iannucci said Mr Gilbert’s former partner had told her that Mr Gilbert hated having to pay so much child support for his three children because they could never go anywhere or do anything. 

“He couldn’t get anywhere in life because they [the CSA] kept taking all his money,” she had said. 

Constable Iannucci said she had contacted the CSA, but it had refused to provide any information. 

She said the mother of two of Mr Gilberts children had told her she had not been concerned about obtaining child support until social security had told her she would lose her welfare benefits if she did not get Mr Gilbert to pay maintenance. 

Mr Thomas appearing for the former partner, said Mr Gilbert had been “very frustrated” by the situation.  He had been unable to realize plans to buy a home and get married.  He had mentioned his massive debt – the full extent of which he had only discovered the previous day – to the last person to see him alive. 

“We say it was a Child Support Agency letter that was the precipitative event that tipped him over the edge,” Mr Thomas told the Coroner Warren Nichol.  “t may be appropriate that you make a comment on the situation he was in.” 

Mr Nichol did not comment directly on this, but did say that it was clear that Mr Gilbert’s problems in meeting his child support obligations had played a large part in the lead-up to his sad death.  

Earlier Mr Thomas said Mr Gilbert had been trying to “to do his best” but was being “hounded” by the CSA. 

He could see no other solution to his problems than taking his own life.  It was “a tragic indictment on the system, one which Federal Parliament might ultimately seek to address”. 

Barry Williams, the Canberra based president of the Lone Fathers Association of Australia was an observer at the inquest. 

Outside court Mr Williams said the association had been trying to convince the Federal Government that child support and family law issues were factors in many suicides. 

“But deaf ears are turned to people like us because of the many factors involved,” he said. 

He said his association supported the CSA and believed parents should pay child support, but this should be based on a flat rate calculated after tax had been deducted. 

He challenged the Government to try this approach for two years.  If it did not work, he would “shut up”.