Massive Boost to Support for Australian Families (2006-07 Budget overview for the Families Portfolio)
An additional $3.1 billion has been committed to support families in the 2006-07 Budget for the Family, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs portfolio.
Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Mal Brough, said that the 2006-07 Budget provided a massive boost to the already significant support provide to families by the Howard Government.
“Lower and middle income families are particular winners, but the budget also delivers further support for parents who use child care, who will benefit from more places delivered more flexibly, a boost for carers and delivery on commitments made through COAG,” Mr Brough said
A summary of the 2006-07 Budget initiatives within the FaCSIA portfolio is (details of measures are provided in other publications):
- $1.25 billion boost to families through changes to their family tax benefit to take effect from 1 July 2006:
- Lower and middle income families will benefit by raising the lower income threshold level to $40,000. This will provide assistance to families, particularly those returning to work, by increasing the amount of earnings they can have before their family assistance is affected.
- Families with three children will also benefit when the number of children required to get the Large Family Supplement is reduced from four to three children.
- Significant changes to child care with more places delivered more flexibly to make the system work better for families (extra $120 million over 4 years), including
- 99 per cent of the child care market will now be able to offer uncapped places, so that approved providers can meet demand where and when it occurs across the range of services types. Specifically, Outside School Hours Care and Family Day Care places will be uncapped and the market opened up to any approved provider to offer those services, costing an extra $60.2 million over four years,
- Jobs, Education and Training (JET) Child Care funding boosted by $9.4 million to help parents undertaking activities such as job search, work or training with the costs of approved child care.
- Increased checking of services through an active compliance and quality program so families can be confident of the quality of services and get better value for their Child Care Benefit and Child Care Tax Rebate dollars by ensuring providers rigorously meet their financial and accreditation commitments ($50.8 million).
- Better information on availability of places for parents and better market information to support the record $9.5 billion taxpayer investment in child care support for parents will be underpinned by a new National Child Care Management System (funding to be announced).
- Older Australians will also benefit from measures recognising their contribution to society.
- To assist with the cost of household bills, the Government will provide by 30 June 2006 an additional one-off payment equal to the maximum rate of Utilities Allowance ($102.80) to each household with a person of Age or Service Pension age eligible for Utilities Allowance on 9 May 2006. A $102.80 payment will also be provided by 30 June 2006 to each self-funded retiree eligible for the Seniors Concession Allowance on 9 May 2006. This will cost $192.5 million.
- The Government will also increase access to the Age and Service Pension for people who live on large blocks of land, have a 20 year connection to that land and for whom it would be unreasonable to realise the value of the land by selling or leasing it. From 1 January 2007, people in these circumstances will be able to exempt the entire value of land on the same title as their home from the Age and Service Pension assets test. This will cost $173.3 million over four years. Currently, only the home and an area up to two hectares is exempt.
- The extraordinary efforts of Australian carers will also be recognised with the payment of a one-off lump sum Carer Bonus. Carers in receipt of Carer Payment will receive a payment of $1000 and recipients of Carer Allowance will receive a payment of $600 for each eligible care receiver ($358 million).
- Delivering on the commitments made at the Council of Australian Governments for disability and mental health:
- The Government will commit $122.0 million over five years – subject to matching funds from individual state and territory governments – plus funding for administration, to assist young people currently reliant on aged care facilities to be accommodated more appropriately.
- $224.7 million over five years will also be delivered to establish more than 650 new respite care places to help families and carers of people with a mental illness. These places will include overnight respite and day care respite for up to 15, 000 families. Priority will be given to elderly parents who live with and care for children, including adult children, who have a severe mental illness or intellectual disability.
- The community sector will also be allocated $45.2 million over five years to provide flexible funding for projects which assist families, children and young people affected by mental illness.
Mr Brough said that the 2006-07 Budget provides another concrete demonstration of the Howard Government’s commitment to Australian families
Family Tax Benefit – increase Family Tax Benefit Part A income threshold
Why is this important?
This measure will increase the Family Tax Benefit Part A maximum rate threshold to $40,000. The measure will assist lower and middle income families, particularly those returning to work, by increasing the amount of Family Tax Benefit Part A they can receive for a given level of earnings.
Who will benefit?
Around 480,000 families with dependent children will benefit from this measure. Families will receive more assistance through Family Tax Benefit Part A with an average increase of $9.60 per fortnight.
What funding is the Government committing to the initiative?
The Government will provide $816.7 million to the FaCSIA portfolio for this measure.
What have we done in the past?
The Government has significantly increased financial assistance to families and improved the rewards from working. In the 2005-06 Budget, the Family Tax Benefit Part A lower income threshold was increased to $37,500, this measure will further increase the threshold to $40,000.
When will the initiative conclude?
This measure will be implemented on 1 July 2006 and will be ongoing.
Family Tax Benefit – extending the large family supplement
Why is this important?
This measure will provide increased financial assistance to help with the costs of raising a large family.
From 1 July 2006, the number of children a family will need to have to qualify for the Large Family Supplement will be reduced and payment will be made for the third and subsequent children in a family.
The Large Family Supplement is an additional allowance payable with Family Tax Benefit Part A.
Who will benefit?
Families with three or more children who are currently eligible or become eligible for Family Tax Benefit Part A as a result of this measure will benefit from the additional assistance.
What funding is the Government committing to the initiative?
The Government will provide $447.1 million over four years to the FaCSIA portfolio for this measure.
What have we done in the past?
At present, Large Family Supplement is paid in addition to the standard rate of Family Tax Benefit Part A for a family’s fourth and subsequent children.
When will the initiative conclude?
This measure will be implemented on 1 July 2006 and will be ongoing.
Older Australians – payment of one-off bonus
Why is this important?
This payment recognises the contribution to society made by older Australians.
Who will benefit?
Households in receipt of Utilities Allowance and recipients of Seniors Concession Allowance will receive a one-off payment of $102.80.
What funding is the Government committing to the initiative?
The Government will provide $192.5 million in 2005-06.
What have we done in the past?
In 2004-05 the Government introduced Utilities Allowance for older Australians on income support to provide additional assistance with household bills, and the Seniors Concession Allowance for holders of the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card in recognition of the fact that this group does not receive concessions from most State and Territory governments.
When will the initiative conclude?
Payment will be made by 30 June 2006.
Carers – payment of one-off carer bonus
Why is this important?
The one-off lump sum Carer Bonus recognises the extraordinary effort of carers.
It will provide them with additional assistance when caring for their relatives and friends who have a disability or are frail aged.
The Government recognises the range of care needs, differing care situations and the long-term commitment of carers and will continue to provide support and assistance.
Who will benefit?
The Government will provide a one-off lump sum payment to eligible carers as follows:
- A payment of $1,000 will be made to carers who receive Carer Payment.
- Recipients of Carer Allowance will receive a payment of $600 for each eligible care receiver.
- In addition to the $600 Carer Allowance bonus, recipients of Carer Allowance who also receive Wife Pension or the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (DVA) Partner Service Pension will receive a payment of $1,000.
What funding is the Government committing to the initiative?
The Government will provide $358 million.
What have we done in the past?
The 2004 and 2005 Budgets provided a similar one-off lump sum bonus to eligible carers who were in receipt of Carer Payment and/or Carer Allowance on the respective Budget nights.
When will the initiative conclude?
Subject to the passage of legislation, the payment will be automatically made to the majority of eligible carers by 30 June 2006.
Child care – Jobs, Education and Training (JET) Child Care fee assistance – continue and extend
Why is this important?
This measure will provide an additional $9.4 million in 2006-07 to JET Child Care and will continue top-up funding of around $3.7 million per year (from 2006-07 to 2009-10) provided under the 2002?03 Australians Working Together (AWT) Package. This is on top of the additional funding allocated to the programme as part of the Australian Government’s Welfare to Work Reform Package in the 2005-06 Budget.
JET Child Care Fee Assistance provides extra help with the cost of approved child care for eligible parents undertaking activities such as job search, work, study or rehabilitation as part of an Activity Agreement, to help them to enter or re-enter the workforce.
Who will benefit?
This measure will assist parents on income support who are the principal carers of children up to 15 years of age and who need to take up child care to either voluntarily participate in study, work or job search activities or meet their mandatory participation requirements.
What funding is the Government committing to the initiative?
The Government will provide an extra $9.4 million in 2006-07 to JET Child Care and continue top-up funding of around $3.7 million per year (from 2006?07) provided under the 2002-03 AWT Package.
The Government has committed $46.3 million to JET Child Care over four years as part of the 2005-06 Welfare to Work Reform Package from 1 July 2006. Total JET funding over the coming four years is $150.9 million.
What have we done in the past?
More parents on income support are voluntarily participating in work, training or job search activities, driven largely by increasing community awareness of participation and child care options. To avoid limiting the JET Child Care programme and ensure that access to child care is not a barrier to participation, additional funds were provided as part of the 2005-06 Welfare to Work Reform Package, through Additional Estimates in 2005-06 and through the AWT measure in the 2002-03 Budget Package.
When will the initiative conclude?
The $9.4 million is provided for 2006-07 only. The AWT top-up funding component will be reviewed as part of the 2009-10 Budget.