Christian Porter (Pearce, Liberal Party, Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

Of the 1.3 million FTBB families, 3,700 of those are registered as grandparent carers. They are the people who are formally legally guardians of children. As I noted in the question previously, there is a whole other cohort who are actually looking after children and do not benefit at all from FTBB, because we find it as a government and you found it as a government very difficult to identify their status as a carer. It is very often natural parents who have little to do with the children that are receiving the funds. That is a real problem. The problem of 3,700 people having a greater incentive and having a government trying to enable them to enter the workforce is a much smaller problem. But, if it is a problem that you wish to discuss with me, that kumbaya hand of friendship is open.

The member opposite is from a generation that makes assumptions about grandparents and about their capacity to work.

Opposition members interjecting—

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