Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I would like to ask a question of the minister. It comes directly off the Family Assistance Office website. The page ‘Maternity Payment for Teenagers’ from the website says:

From 1 January 2007 until 1 July 2007, young people aged 17 years or under—

and I know it is now 18—

who apply for Maternity Payment will be paid in 13 fortnightly instalments unless special circumstances exist to warrant the payment of a lump sum.

So this is actually current government policy. I am wondering what has changed between that decision being made and now. Why has the government’s policy changed?