Malcolm Turnbull’s new families package is just as unfair as Tony Abbott’s and will have an enormous detrimental impact on families in the Hunter region.

Federal Labor will oppose the Turnbull Government’s attempt to cut:

• Family Tax Benefit Part B payments for local single parents and grandparent carers; and
• Family Tax Benefit supplements for thousands of local families.

Cuts to Family Tax Benefit Part A supplements would leave more than 47,000 families in our region hundreds of dollars a year worse off. Cuts to FTB-B Supplement would also hit nearly 43,000 families.

“A single parent family in Newcastle with a couple of children in high school could be more than $4,700 a year worse off because of Malcolm Turnbull’s plan to cut family tax benefits and the Schoolkids Bonus,” said Member for Newcastle Sharon Claydon.

“Working couples on low and middle incomes with two kids in high School will be around $2,600 a year worse off because of cuts to the Schoolkids Bonus and Family Tax Benefit Supplements.”

“Raising a family doesn’t come cheap. The cost of living keeps going up, and now Malcolm Turnbull is trying to cut hundreds of dollars a year and in some cases thousands from family budgets,” said Member for Shortland Jill Hall.

“I don’t know any families in our community who can afford to have that much money ripped off them, so why does Malcolm Turnbull think they don’t deserve this support?”

“The Government’s cuts to families demonstrates the level of hypocrisy we get from the Liberals. Remember they spent years telling us our paid parental leave schemes were grossly inadequate, then changed their mind and said they were far too extensive?” said Member for Charlton Pat Conroy.

“Worse still, they have told us that we cannot have a strong and adaptive childcare system unless families and new parents suffer to provide it. They are setting up a false binary choice and it will hurt local families.”

Member for Hunter Joel Fitzgibbon said Labor was opposing Mr Turnbull’s cuts to families in the Parliament, and called on locals to show their opposition to the Liberals’ unfair policies.

“For two years Labor protected families from Tony Abbott’s cuts, and now we will protect them from Malcolm Turnbull’s cuts.”

“On top of these cuts, Mr Turnbull wants to increase the GST, which will hurt every family, in particular low and middle income earners.”

“Labor has launched a new campaign to call on the Government to drop their cuts and give families a fair go.

“Labor will never compromise on fairness. We will keep protecting local families from Malcolm Turnbull’s unfair cuts, and we will keep fighting his proposal to increase the GST.”

Locals can send a message to Malcolm Turnbull by visiting www.givefamiliesafairgo.org and signing up to the campaign.

11 NOVEMBER 2015

ENDS