Federal Member for Blaxland, Jason Clare has welcomed the Gillard Government’s 2012-13 Budget which aims to take the pressure off Australian families who are finding it difficult to make ends meet.
“This is a budget for Bankstown’s families,” Mr Clare said.
“It is about making sure that all Australians share in the benefits of the mining boom.”
“It will help local families with cost of living pressures.”
At the heart of the budget is a $3.6 billion Benefits of the Boom package, which gives support to local families.
For the people of Blaxland it means:
- A new Schoolkids Bonus payment for over 13,000 families to help with the costs of a child’s education – $410 for each child in primary school and $820 for each child in high school;
- An increase in the Family Tax Benefit Part A payments by up to $600 for more than 18,000 local families;
- A new lump sum Supplementary Allowance for over 18,000 local young people, single parents and the unemployed currently receiving payments – $210 a year for singles or $350 a year for couples. This will help local residents meet the costs of essential services such as electricity, gas and water;
- An increase in the tax-free threshold so that over a million Australian workers who earn less than $20,000 a year will pay no tax at all and won’t have to lodge a tax return.
“These new measures are good for families, good for students and good for low income earners,” Mr Clare said.
Media contact: Chris Zogopoulos (02) 9790 2466
