Media Release by The Hon Jenny Macklin MP

Schoolkids Bonus is just around the corner

The second instalment of the Gillard Government’s Schoolkids Bonus is just around the corner, with 1.3 million families set to receive the payment from next week.

From 4 July, eligible families will start receiving $205 for each child in primary school and $410 for each child in secondary school – just in time to help parents to get all the things their kids need for Term 3.

The Schoolkids Bonus helps lighten the load for families facing back-to-school costs.

The payment helps parents buy uniforms, shoes, school books and stationery, as well as other costs like school excursions, music lessons and sports registration fees.

This is the second instalment this year for families, with the first instalment arriving before school started in January.

In total, Australian families will receive about $1.3 billion in Schoolkids Bonus payments this year.

Australian families love Labor’s Schoolkids Bonus. It means that as parents get their kids ready for school over the next few weeks, this money is in their pocket at the time they need it the most.

Australian families should know that if Tony Abbott is elected Prime Minister at the election, this Schoolkids Bonus payment will be their last.

An Abbott Government will axe the Schoolkids Bonus and hurt the 1.3 million families who rely on this money to help them buy the things their kids need for school.

Axing the Schoolkids Bonus will mean a typical family with two kids will be $15,000 worse off over the course of their children’s schooling.

Australian families are already feeling the pinch. They can’t afford an Abbott Government cutting to the bone and making it harder for families.

Families receiving Family Tax Benefit Part A, as well as young people in school receiving Youth Allowance, and others receiving certain income support or veterans’ payments are eligible for the Schoolkids Bonus.

For the latest information about the Schoolkids Bonus and other family assistance measures, visit www.australia.gov.au/schoolkidsbonus or ‘like’ our Australian Families Facebook page.

State breakdown of families who will receive the Schoolkids Bonus this year:

State

Number of families receiving the Schoolkids Bonus

Number of children benefitting from the Schoolkids Bonus

NSW

401,000

706,000

VIC

309,000

544,000

QLD

281,000

494,000

WA

120,000

211,000

SA

97,000

170,000

TAS

35,000

61,000

NT

16,000

28,000

ACT

14,000

25,000