Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Housing and Homelessness) Share this | Hansard source

We also have to reject the amendment by the Greens. I start by rejecting everything that Senator Fifield said in relation to our economic manage­ment. We could debate that all day, Senator Fifield, and I note you constantly forget about the global financial crisis, but we will leave that for another day.

This measure delivers savings to the budget of $803.2 million over the forward estimates and is part of the government's reforms to make the family payment system sustainable into the future. I talked about a number of measures that the government has already taken. As a result of the change, the forgone increases in 2011-12 would be: for family tax benefit part A, $18 per child for the year, which is equivalent to 35c a week; and, for family tax benefit part B, $11 per child for the year, which is equivalent to 21c a week. The fortnightly family payments that families rely on week to week will continue to be indexed.

Senator Siewert raised concerns about very low income families. I can advise the Senate that the impact on the maximum rate for a low-income single parent with two young children who receives both family tax benefit part A and part B will be $47 for the year 2011-12. As I previously noted, fortnightly family tax benefit payments will continue to rise with normal indexation. For this family, the total family tax benefit part A and B will increase by $12.32 a fortnight, or $321.20 a year, on 1 July 2011. That means that this family will still receive at least around $321 more in their family payments next year, depending on the age of their children. The increase could be higher.

The TEMPORARY CHAIRMAN: The question is that schedule 2 stand as printed.

Question agreed to.