VPRS 4581 Court of Petty Sessions Maintenance Register

The Maintenance Act 1928 and previously successive marriage Acts established provisions for maintenance support to be provided by husbands who had left their wives or children without means of support. Courts of Petty Sessions were empowered to hear complaints regarding desertion and to set levels and enforce the payment of maintenance. The Maintenance Act 1965 is still in force in Victoria (as at 1992). The Commonwealth Family Law Act 1975 also has provision for the granting of custody and maintenance and most orders are now made under this Act. Successive Justices' Acts and more recently Magistrates Court Acts have required the clerk or registrar of the court to make and keep a register of convictions, orders and other proceedings of the court. This register is the authoritative record of the court. Most courts maintained a separate register for maintenance matters. This record was created to record and enforce the payment of maintenance following a court order requiring that maintenance be paid for the support of a child. For each order, the details recording these payments were spread over a double page. Details recorded at the top of both of the pages were the name of the child, the Court making the order, parents name and address. The name of only one parent is listed. The date of the order is recorded at the top of the second page along with the weekly amount which must be paid satisfy the order. Most of the first page is devoted to recording the monthly amounts paid and the balance due. Any later proceedings in relation to the order are recorded on the second page. All orders in this series were made at Rupanyup Court of Petty Sessions. It is unknown whether registers exist for the years before or after those held in this series.

《1928年赡养法》（Maintenance Act 1928）及此前的一系列婚姻法案确立了相关条款，要求遗弃妻子或子女且未留下生活来源的丈夫提供赡养支持。小额诉讼法院（Courts of Petty Sessions）有权审理遗弃相关投诉，设定赡养费金额并强制执行支付。《1965年赡养法》截至1992年在维多利亚州仍有效力。《1975年联邦家庭法》（Commonwealth Family Law Act 1975）亦包含授予监护权与赡养费的条款，如今大多数相关命令均依该法案作出。

一系列《法官法》（Justices' Acts）及近年的《地方法院法》（Magistrates Court Acts）要求法院书记员或登记员制作并保存法院定罪、命令及其他诉讼程序的登记册。该登记册为法院的权威记录。多数法院为赡养事项单独设立登记册。

本记录旨在记录并强制执行法院命令下的赡养费支付——此类命令要求支付赡养费以支持子女。每项命令的支付详情分布于两页：两页顶部均记录子女姓名、作出命令的法院、父母姓名及地址（仅列一位父母）；第二页顶部还记录命令日期及每周需支付的赡养费金额；第一页大部分内容用于记录每月支付金额及到期余额；与该命令相关的后续诉讼程序则记录于第二页。本系列所有命令均由鲁帕尼普小额诉讼法院（Rupanyup Court of Petty Sessions）作出。目前尚不清楚本系列所涉年份之前或之后是否存在相关登记册。