Mike Symon (Deakin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and Minister for Disability Reform. As children around the country go back to school for another year, will the minister update the House on the government's plans to support families with the costs of education? What obstacles are there to this support?

Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Disability Reform) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Deakin very much for that question. As he knows, there are many families in Deakin who have been getting their kids ready for school both last week and this week and making sure that they have all the things their children need: the school shoes, school books and all of those essentials. Parents have been out in many, many stores around the country buying those goods.

The first instalment of this government's schoolkids bonus was paid to families right around the country just a few weeks ago. This, of course, was paid as part of our plan to help Australian families. This year we will see 1.3 million Australian families, covering 2.2 million children, benefit from this government's schoolkids bonus. That means $410 per primary school aged child and $820 per secondary school aged child. That is what this government is delivering—that extra money to make sure that parents have money in the bank. That is where it has gone, straight into the bank accounts of these families to make sure parents have the money when they need it to help them get their kids ready for school.

Of course, we are hearing all the catcalling from those opposite. We know that, unlike this government, they have a plan to rip this money off families, to take all of this money off 1.3 million Australian families, to fill their budget black hole. That is what this Leader of the Opposition is planning to do—take all of this money straight off families. For a typical Australian family, this Leader of the Opposition would see them lose $15,000 over the school life of their children. This Leader of the Opposition would be responsible for ripping all of that money out of the pockets of families just because he has a very serious budget black hole. Families know which side of this parliament is on their side, and it is this Labor government.