I wrote this and floated it under the name of two other senior reporters on the paper.
My intense dislike of both the Family Court and the Child Support Agency were well known on the paper and there were fears I might be biased.
Not to mention that journalists who are not part of the feminist cheer squad often suffer career backlash as a result of their unfashionable preparedness to stand up against the mob.
While a variation of the story ultimately ended up on the front page, this version didn’t fly.
The onerous and sometimes entirely outlandish behaviour of the Child Support Agency is a significant factor in the high death rate amongst separated fathers. To this day its maladministration remains a blight on the Australian Public Service. The failure to investigate the deaths and suicides with which it is closely associated is a scandal.
My intense dislike of both the Family Court and the Child Support Agency were well known on the paper and there were fears I might be biased.
Not to mention that journalists who are not part of the feminist cheer squad often suffer career backlash as a result of their unfashionable preparedness to stand up against the mob.
While a variation of the story ultimately ended up on the front page, this version didn’t fly.
The onerous and sometimes entirely outlandish behaviour of the Child Support Agency is a significant factor in the high death rate amongst separated fathers. To this day its maladministration remains a blight on the Australian Public Service. The failure to investigate the deaths and suicides with which it is closely associated is a scandal.