Australian Government today has agreed to scrap its baby bonus plan in return for Labor’s support for its ‘Omnibus Bill’.
Baby Bonus plan wherein eligible families receive $1000 if they have a child aged less than one, has been abolished. Government will save $1.4m by dropping the baby bonus plan.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said he has reached an agreement with the Coalition to support its Budget Savings Bill, which he said would now produce $6.3 billion in savings over four years.
Mr Shorten said it was a “hard choice”. “In a perfect world you don’t have to do any of these things,” he said.
“But I tell you what, if you’re someone who is only getting $260 a week, you’re unemployed, you’ve got no opportunities, you’re not getting a job, cutting their income compared to cutting (the income of) someone who might be on $140,000 and receiving an extra payment, I think we’ve got to look after the most vulnerable in our society as a priority.”
Malcolm Turnbull described the negotiations as “very frank” and “constructive.”
“There’s a lot more work to be done but this demonstrates that we are delivering on our economic plan, we are delivering on our commitment to bring the Budget back into balance,” he said.
Treasurer Scott Morrison said 20 of the 24 measures in the Omnibus Bill were supported without amendment.
Under the changes, all existing recipients of the clean energy supplement will continue to receive it, except for those receiving the Family Tax Benefit and Commonwealth Seniors Health Card Holders.
