paternity tests prove hundreds of men duped, page-135

Suspicious dads spark surge in sales of DNA kits


Kelvin Bissett
November 11, 2008 11:00pm


UP to 6000 DNA home testing kits were sold across Australia last year, largely to suspicious dads as increasing numbers with child support obligations prove they are not the fathers.

The popularity of do-it-yourself DNA paternity testing may be linked to new figures showing 787 child support payment orders, involving 860 separate children, getting torn up since mid 2003.

The figures include 168 cases in 2007-08 involving 187 children, and 32 cases this financial year affecting 35 children up to October 18, documents released by the Child Support Agency under Freedom of Information show.

One of Australia's largest laboratories, DNA Bio Services, estimates that between 5000 and 6000 DNA do-it-yourself test kits were distributed last year by all Australian laboratories who offer the tests.

The majority of swab tests, ordered over the internet, were dads checking out paternity -- the others were children checking on their background or grandparents looking into their grandchildren's origins.

DNA Bio Services director Gary Miller said often the fathers' suspicions were well founded. "A check of records last year showed that about one in four of the paternity tests came back negative," he said.

The home tests cost about $400 and require swabs from just the father and child, not mother. Results can be processed in less than two weeks.

Six years ago the same test would have cost $1200 and could not have been done at home.

But the $400 "peace of mind test" won't be sufficient for the Family Court -- higher grade tests will be required.

The Courier-Mail yesterday reported on how 18 duped men with DNA proof have so far taken advantage of new laws requiring child support money to be repaid by the mothers. Since January last year the Family Court can order repayment, using the authority of the Child Support Agency.

Women's groups continued to express their dismay at the development yesterday.

Solo Mums Australia for Family Equity spokeswoman Elspeth McInnes doubted whether women took "a deliberate course" of setting up the wrong man for child support.

"I doubt whether making the mothers pay it all back is going to help," she said.

Why is our blogger outraged? http://blogs.news.com.au/couriermail/parenting/



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