Labour to cut tax benefit for parents who choose not to vaccinate

[Trillian]

As far as Im aware, I AM getting all of my FTB (A and B) fortnightly and the difference is corrected at the end of financial year depending on my OH salary. I thought that is what I nominated when I applied. But maybe I misinterpreted/ forgot/ that has changed since then.
If Im not, then you're right, it wont make much difference to me and I have nothing to worry about. (Except that we use the reconcilliation at the eofy to pay car rego/ other big things that we struggle to manage throughout the year)

Calluna, you can't be getting all of it, you might be getting as much as you are entitled to get, but they still keep the supplement part until your OH gets his tax done and then when they reconcile, that's when you get your top up payment and the supplement would be part of that payment

[Amity]

Those with family incomes over about $150K don't care anyway because they don't get FTBA. It won't make a squid of difference to me as my kids are older. It really only makes a difference to those with kids under 5 or who are planning on having kids.

I just saw (one party's) parental leave policy. They are planning a government-funded paid parental leave for 6 months post baby at whatever your income was pre-baby. That's going to create all sorts of issues for high-income earning women. Six months paid if the woman earns $500k per year... and they've only budgeted $5.5 billion don't know how that's going to work.

Mind you - these are all just policies for them to get voted in on. They may very well change (or not pass through the Lower House/Upper House) in the format that they are currently being "sold" in.

Interesting debate though.

[briggsy's girl]

Those with family incomes over about $150K don't care anyway because they don't get FTBA. It won't make a squid of difference to me as my kids are older. It really only makes a difference to those with kids under 5 or who are planning on having kids.

I just saw (one party's) parental leave policy. They are planning a government-funded paid parental leave for 6 months post baby at whatever your income was pre-baby. That's going to create all sorts of issues for high-income earning women. Six months paid if the woman earns $500k per year... and they've only budgeted $5.5 billion don't know how that's going to work.

Mind you - these are all just policies for them to get voted in on. They may very well change (or not pass through the Lower House/Upper House) in the format that they are currently being "sold" in.

Interesting debate though.

I don't read it that it will only impact up til 5 years. But I've only skimmed it (eta. This article mentions those three ages. The other I read earlier didnt)

And 150k is very generous. For a one child family its 101k, 112 ish for two child family....

[Artechim]

Won't that just lead to a rise of people suddenly having a religious objection?

[briggsy's girl]

Won't that just lead to a rise of people suddenly having a religious objection?

I'm assuming they'd have to show religious objection reason (like Jehovah's not accepting blood products etc). If they'd previously claimed a standard CO rather than religious grounds there might be a please explain situation. Genuine religios grounds would have been the initial reason

[Jennifer13]

Sorry if this has been covered, I've read many responses but not all.

Just on a practical note, would "medical grounds" include for example, if my child caught chicken pox before she could be vaxxed for it? (Which she did, because her big sister's CP vax didn't work and she caught it and infected the rest of us... ). Does the dr notify this through the standard process? I know they do when your child is vaxxed, and you get the immunisation statement in the mail, but now we're technically behind, so I just wondered what to do about closing the loophole. Not overly concerned about the entitlement (although I won't sneeze at it - goes towards a rare holiday in our family), but more about having it clearly stated that DD2 is not in need of the CP vax.

Preschool is already confused about it, because she hasn't had it and despite me knowing she's immune because she's had the virus itself, they aren't sure whether she should be excluded or not if there's an outbreak (it's a private preschool so they can do this). DTMS? Don't get me started on what common sense would say...

[meow]

Sorry if this has been covered, I've read many responses but not all.

Just on a practical note, would "medical grounds" include for example, if my child caught chicken pox before she could be vaxxed for it? (Which she did, because her big sister's CP vax didn't work and she caught it and infected the rest of us... ). Does the dr notify this through the standard process? I know they do when your child is vaxxed, and you get the immunisation statement in the mail, but now we're technically behind, so I just wondered what to do about closing the loophole. Not overly concerned about the entitlement (although I won't sneeze at it - goes towards a rare holiday in our family), but more about having it clearly stated that DD2 is not in need of the CP vax.

Yes, having CP makes you exempt from needing the vax. I'm pretty sure that would be covered as a medical exemption and you need your doctor to sign the form for you submit for an exemption from the CP vax to make you 'up to date' on the immunisation schedule.

[surprised]

Sorry that the humour in my previous post wasn't as evident online as it was in my head. My point was that wouldn't it be nice to live in an economic climate where all these payments were unnecessary because (a) people lived within their means and (b) it was much easier to live within your means. The lines between necessity and luxury are so blurred these days. On one hand Internet access is a luxury. You don't need it to survive. But on the other a lack of it puts people at a distinct social and educational disadvantage.

Wish we could have these discussions without the anger...

[surprised]

Double post