Last time families will receive 'Back to School' help

Media Release

THE HON. SENATOR JAN MCLUCAS

ACTING SHADOW MINISTER FOR FAMILIES AND PAYMENTS

SENATOR FOR QUEENSLAND

Thursday, 09 January 2014

Tony Abbott wants this Schoolkids Bonus to be the last, and has introduced legislation to repeal the payment. As parents start getting their kids ready for school over the next few weeks, they'll know how helpful the Schoolkids Bonus has been and they'll be asking the PM why he wants to rip it away. Thanks to Labor's actions, families will receive $410 for each primary school child and $820 for each secondary school child. 1.3 million Australian families will begin receiving Labor's Schoolkids Bonus payment tomorrow, to help them meet the cost of getting their kids ready for the new school year. This will help families pay for things like school uniforms, shoes, books and stationery, as well as other costs like school excursions, music lessons and sports registration fees. At a time when family budgets can be tight, this is much needed relief for families as they got their kids ready to go back to school. And it comes on top of the Abbott Government's plans for a GP tax, as well as the Private Health Insurance premium hike announcement made two days before Christmas. This assistance is targeted at families who need it to help make ends meet. Every one of these families will be worse off if Tony Abbott gets his way. Scrapping the Schoolkids Bonus means the average Australian family with two kids will be $1,230 worse off every year and $15,000 worse off over the life of their child's education. This is a savage cut from a government that clearly doesn't care about cost of living pressures or our kids' education. Tony Abbott's priorities are all wrong.