Thousands of parents owe more than $1 billion in child support debts that in some cases date back more than 30 years. 

The amount is owed by 97,597 debtors as of April 30 this year. Nearly half a million of the debt is penalty fees. 

Family lawyer Sharon Chandra tells Mike Hosking that active steps aren’t always taken to recover debts that are owed. Inland Revenue do not have the resources to allocate to debt recovery, resulting in the accumulating debt. 

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