Wow! What a predictable Federal Budget this one turned out to be. Although, being in an election year, I have to say the Treasurer delivered even less than expected. There weren’t even any last-minute ‘surprises’ designed to attract votes. With the majority of income earners set to receive tax cuts of a whopping $14 per week, I was even more dismayed by the complete and utter failure to address the urgent needs of struggling Australian families.
In what feels like true Liberal fashion, the rich once again get richer, and the poor get poorer. According to the Budget release featured in Tuesday’s edition of The Age, it’s the double-income families, with or without children, who receive the greatest benefits—even if that benefit is still below the $40 per week mark. At the same time, The Age’s analysis demonstrated that it’s the single mother working part-time who loses out the most – she receives a remarkable zero dollars extra per week. The very people who need a lifeline are left to tread water.
I know this will come as a complete shock, but once again, there were no increased benefits for stay-at-home parents. There was no meaningful mention of paid maternity or paternity leave, a policy that would provide real security for new families. There is no additional assistance for spiralling health expenses through Medicare, and certainly no increase in assistance for families in terms of schooling costs, which continue to climb year after year.
But let me not get too cynical here, there was one thing offered to families. Hoorah, hoorah! Parents who put their kids in care will now receive rebate payments in the same year they claim them (I didn’t even know this wasn’t the case previously, which shows how out of touch the system is). And, try not to get too excited, but there’s also a slight increase in the rebate, which, it is predicted, will barely offset the ever-increasing cost of childcare. Yippy!
So what do I get from all this? A measly $14 extra per week. Hey, I suppose that will just about cover the increase in my private health insurance that came in last month. Thanks for nothing, Peter Costello