Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

comes alongside the extra support we are giving to families through our historic investment in paid parental leave, the biggest since Labor introduced it in 2011. Since last year, we've given more families access to the payment, introducing a more generous $350,000 family income limit and made it much easier for both parents to share care. And from July this year we're expanding the scheme by an extra six weeks, reaching six months in 2026. When fully rolled out, that is an extra $5,000 more in the family budget.

We've also targeted cost-of-living relief to families on the lowest incomes. We've listed the base rate for working age and student payments, and we've expanded the eligibility of the single parent payment until their youngest child turns 14, up from eight. The latest data shows that this has already helped 77,000 single parents. At the same time, we are delivering the biggest boost to rent assistance in more than 30 years, which is also helping to moderate rent rises. For families, this complements the government's extra support in delivering electricity bill relief, cheaper child care, cheaper medicines and investments in bulk-billing.

When it comes to tackling the cost of living, we on the side of the House take it seriously. It is clear that those opposite have given up. They have given up when it comes to cost of living. They have abandoned the territory. They never wanted the tax cuts for middle- and low-income Australians. They never wanted electricity relief. They never wanted income support. We will get on with the job. (Time expired).

See this speech in context