Ditch jumping Kiwis make up half of deadbeat parents

New Zealanders who have skived off across the Tasman make up almost half the international caseload for Australian authorities stuck with collecting debts for the children they have left behind.

The Australian Government is alarmed to find that some of them are now double defaulters, with almost 2000 parents with debts to children overseas also owing $A5.6 million in support to their Australian kids, the Australian newspaper reported.

Australia's membership of the Hague Convention requires it to collect such debts in reciprocal arrangements with other nations.

Children in other countries are owed $A114 million ($NZ148 million) from separated parents living in Australia, and almost half the international caseload is made up of cases originating in New Zealand.

Queensland is the most popular address for the fathers involved, closely followed by NSW and the ACT.

Australia's Minister for Human Services Joe Ludwig yesterday opened a summit of experts from the Child Support Agency looking for new ways to tackle the growing level of child support debt owed internationally.

"I am very concerned that international debt ... is the fastest growing proportion of the $A1 billion total child support debt", Senator Ludwig said.

The "international debt", includes parents who move to Australia and bring their debt with them, yet have no Australian children, the newspaper reported.

- NZPA