Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Hansard source

I'm happy to equally inform Senator Hanson-Young that there, of course, you're talking around three-quarters of families who will be better off as a result of the Turnbull government's reforms. I know the Australian Greens like to be glass half empty about everything, but, of course, in this case the glass is well and truly at least three-quarters full. The glass is at least three-quarters full and it's full of support for the hardest-working Australian families. It's full of support for people who are working, studying or volunteering at least four hours per week. And those families who are working, studying or volunteering at least four hours per week are going to get an increased rate of subsidy and support if they are on low or middle incomes. But, as I said before in my earlier answer, those on the lowest incomes will see the rate of childcare subsidy grow from 72c in the dollar to 85c in the dollar.

I would have thought that that is something the Australian Greens would welcome—that the Australian Greens would welcome the fact that those families who are working hard, studying hard and doing their bit to better themselves and get ahead would also get more support in their pockets. Many of those families will be thousands of dollars a year better off as a result of the Turnbull government's reforms. And, of course, as I outlined before, assessments undertaken by my department indicate that around 230,000 Australian families are expected to change their behaviour as a result of these reforms and work more, study more or volunteer more, in which case the numbers Senator Hanson-Young cites of who might be worse off will go down.