Cory Bernardi (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary Assisting the Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

I have a few comments with respect to the Family Assistance and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2012 which I would like to put on the record. They essentially revolve around one of the key elements of this bill, which is reducing the baby bonus for families by almost 10 per cent, or $437. On top of that the government are freezing indexation for the next three years. This directly impacts on families who are already struggling with the cost of living. Those of us who are parents in this place can relate to the high costs associated with having a baby, and the baby bonus is aimed at assisting with those costs. My youngest son, in fact, was born only a matter of minutes before the baby bonus came into effect. I would have been substantially better off had it been the next day, but such is the way of childbirth!

With respect to assisting parents, my concern is that parents are unable to plan or to count on continuity from this government. In last night's budget speech, for example, we were told repeatedly that this was 'spreading the bonus' of the mining boom, that families would be getting assistance and things like that. The problem is that these one-off sugar hits do not give any confidence to families so that they can plan into the future. It leads to the conclusion that many people have come to: that this government really does not care, except for the politics of a particular circumstance. How can this government justify winding back the baby bonus, even in this relatively small measure for families that are already being affected by the cost of living, and yet refuse to deal with the fact that a carbon tax is going to be introduced on 1 July which is going to severely impact on the cost of living for families? How can it justify winding back assistance for families with newborn children and not accept the fact that its Building the Education Revolution was rorted to the tune of billions and billions of dollars? Indeed, what is this government doing winding back assistance for families with newborn children while electricity prices have gone up by 66 per cent since this government was elected? And gas prices are up by 39 per cent. Food and petrol prices have increased by 11 per cent. It is not exactly within the purview of the government to stop price rises, but the price rises are directly related to the financial incompetence and mismanagement that this government has inflicted upon the Australian economy. It is Economics 101, I would remind you—although you need no reminding, Madam Acting Deputy President Moore—