Daryl Melham (Banks, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and the Minister for Disability Reform. Will the minister update the House on the government's policies in the budget to help Australian families make ends meet. What obstacles are there to this support?

Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Disability Reform) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Banks very much for his question, because this Labor government does understand that families have a lot on their plates and can do with every extra bit of help possible. That is why we are delivering extra assistance through our household assistance package. I can inform the House that 1.6 million families have already received additional assistance in the last fortnight to help them with their bills now and their bills in the coming months. We know that every single one of those people on the other side of the House wants to claw that back from every single family—1.6 million families you want to claw it off. That is also why this side of the House wants to deliver another increase to family payments, put in this year's budget by our Treasurer, to make sure that we deliver extra help to Australian families. This was once more opposed by each and every person on that side of the parliament. Of course, it is why this side of the House is also delivering the schoolkids bonus. Extraordinarily this week the member for Menzies has said that he thinks it is not that difficult, actually, to collect all your receipts. It just demonstrates how completely out of touch all of the people over there are. Listen to the families who complain about how difficult it is to collect their receipts, the one million families who are missing out because of the previous system. This side of the parliament will make sure that those one million families get the extra money they need and that they get it when they need it. That is what this side of parliament will do.

Mr Christensen interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The member for Dawson is warned.

Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Disability Reform) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We know that this Leader of the Opposition has failed Australian families and is going to claw back the money that they have just received in the last fortnight. He opposes the schoolkids bonus and is going to take that off them. He is going to take the family payments off them. He has failed the leadership test for Australian families.

Daryl Melham (Banks, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Deputy Speaker, my supplementary question to the minister is: how will these policies help families in my electorate of Banks?

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister has the call and will be heard in silence.

Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Disability Reform) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Once again, I thank the member for Banks and for all the work that he does for his families in his electorate. In fact there will be 7,000 families in the electorate of Banks who will receive—

Mr Hockey interjecting—

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order!

Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Disability Reform) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

7,000 families in Banks who will receive the schoolkids bonus and, of course, the member for North Sydney just thinks this is a big joke. He thinks it is a big joke that these 7,000 families are going to get this extra money as a result of our schoolkids bonus. The member for Banks will be able to go and tell every single one of those families that their children will miss out because of opposition policies and opposition to the schoolkids bonus. They want to rip the schoolkids bonus off the 7,000 families in Banks who have received that money.