GetUp!
GetUp!

Stop This Hidden Budget Nasty


You don't have to be a parent to know the job's not done when a child turns 6. But that's when the Abbott Government wants to cut off family support for a million Australian families in the form of Family Tax Benefit B.

That's $3000 per year for low and middle-income families.

The Government's trying to rush the change through the Senate this week. With Labor and the Greens firmly against it, it'll come down to the 8 crossbench senators, most of whom haven't said where they stand.

Emails from thousands of Australians in the coming days could make all the difference as they decide how to vote. Can you take two minutes to write to your crossbench senator now?
We've put some handy talking points in our email tool on the right as well as some placeholder text you can edit. But the most effective emails will be personal—telling your story or the stories of people you know and care about. Below are some tips on writing a personally powerful email to your senator:

  1. Introduce yourself — the best stories paint a compelling picture of the person affected. Who are you? Where do you live? What do you do?
  2. Explain that you (or someone you know) receives or received Family Tax Benefit B.
  3. What difference does this support make to your family's quality of life? What does it mean for your children? Was it helpful? Were you still struggling? What effect did it have on your daily life?
  4. Explain how a reduction in this tax payment will (or would have) impacted your family — What would your family have to sacrifice? How would your lives be different?
Remember to be polite! Most of these senators haven't taken a position yet and we want to persuade them.

Want to know more? The legislation before the Senate proposes:
  • Families will be cut off from the payment when their youngest child turns six, rather than 15 (or 18 if they are still a student).
  • The end-of-year supplements will be reduced to $600 (FTB A) and $300 (FTB B) respectively
  • The payment rates of the two benefits will be frozen for the next two years, so the benefit does not keep pace with inflation, and indexation will cease.

Contact Your Crossbench Senator

Support for a million Australian families is on the line, with legislation to slash access to Family Tax Benefit B before the Senate this week.

Can you make sure your crossbench Senator knows Australians do not want to see unfair cuts to this vital family support?

Enter your postcode to find your Senators

Hit "Add" to insert the talking point into your email

Daycare support for children who are not yet school age are handled by a separate payment that stops as soon as children stop attending daycare. Family Tax Benefit B recognises the ongoing costs of families with dependent children, which don't stop when the child turns 6, 12, or 16.
The job, and costs, of parenting don't stop at 6. Neither should support for families raising children, especially in a budget that's letting big business off the hook with tax breaks and loopholes.
Unemployment is at its highest level in 12 years and after-school child-care is expensive and hard to find. Even if you find paid work, most jobs don't let you clock off before 3pm. Trying to push low-income mothers into taking on more work in these circumstances is ineffective and unfair.
Family Tax Benefit B is targeted to low and middle income families who need it most. It will cost many families thousands of dollars a year--even greater than the impact of the proposed Medicare co-payment for GP visits.
Minister Andrews has mentioned a 'compromise' at 12 years old, but that still leaves parents out of pocket for 6 very stressful teen years, when parenting and the costs of raising a child don't get any easier.
Your details will be sent along with your message.
In taking action, I agree to GetUp's Privacy Policy.