Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Housing and Homelessness) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Urquhart for her first question and welcome her to the Senate. From 1 July, a large number of positive changes came into effect, arising out of the budget, that will support families financially and make it easier for them to make ends meet. We know parents need affordable and quality child care. That is why the government has improved the effectiveness of the childcare rebate to allow it to be paid fortnightly. These more regular payments, coming into play last Friday, will help families balance their budgets and build on the government's increase to the childcare rebate from 30 per cent to 50 per cent of out-of-pocket costs.

Since last Friday, Australian families will also benefit through an expansion of the education tax refund for school uniforms, a change that will help many parents with their back-to-school expenses. There are also new baby bonus arrangements for families to get more of their payments upfront, to help with those big purchases that parents need to make when a new baby comes into the family. We are talking about payments for cots or for prams.

More than two million families will now benefit from indexation increases to their family payments as well. The maximum fortnightly rates for family tax benefit part A and part B will both be increased, which amounts to, for family tax benefit part A, $113 per child under 13 each year and, for family tax benefit part B, $95 per family. All low-income earners will get more in their pay packet each week through the low-income tax offset, which will mean another $300 in their pockets during the year rather than at the end of it. As a government, we are continuing to deliver for families into the future. From 1 January next year, parents will receive a boost to family assistance for families with older teenagers of up to $4,200 extra a year. (Time expired)