Families Await X-Mas Miracle From Howard Wayne Swan - Shadow Minister for Family and Community Services

Media Statement - 21 December 2003

Christmas is a time to be charitable but families will view with great scepticism John Howard's tired promises to ease the financial and work pressures on families.

As much as struggling families deserve some relief, John Howard who has played scrooge for the last seven years, is unlikely to ever deliver it to them.

John Howard says he wants parents to spend more time with their children but flatly refuses to support or implement universal paid maternity leave.

John Howard says he wants to remove disincentives for parents to work part-time but refuses to fix the incentive sapping marginal tax rates of 80% or more caused by Family Tax Benefit B.

John Howard says he would like to create more options for women to work part-time but has opposed industrial rights for women to return to part-time work after having a baby.

John Howard has said he would like to ease the financial burden on families but has argued the current flawed family tax benefit system is generous enough.

John Howard's work and family promises are barren.

While John Howard subjects us to another Groundhog Day promising to do more for families, new analysis of Government spending has revealed family tax relief is in decline.

The recently released Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) reveals the Government will spend $254 million less in 2003-2004[1] on family tax relief than estimated at the time of the May Budget.

This follows a real decline of almost $800 million the year before.

Total expenditure on Family Tax Benefit and Child care benefit fell by over $1 billion over the past two full financial years.

The Howard Government is out of touch with the daily struggle of Australian families – placing an intolerable financial burden on them.

They are running the highest taxing government in Australia's history, and are now delivering less financial relief.

[1] MYEFO 2003-04 Page 23