thanks BG - i knew about lodging for Child Support - but my own experience of the CS payments being so unreliable, prolly coloured my thinking (hence, me leaving it off the list). I think of the CS payment as a lucky dip - if it turns up - i never know how much it's going to be - so i try to budget without factoring it in. It's a bonus if it happens. But that is just my experience. I hope Jane Doe has a better experience with CS payments. (all down to how the payer is, i suppose).

Ambah, thanks for the real life experience, and mentioning the Pensioner Education Supplement. Good to know it exists, and what it's called in CL jargon.
link for Jane Doe
http://www.centrelink.gov.au/interne...ions/st004.htm

so now, my updated list of what Jane Doe could apply for, might look like:
- parenting payment
- family tax a
- family tax b including rent assistance
- pensioner education supplement
- JET scheme to help with childcare costs
- child support

I'm sure all these responses (and any more to come), will help Jane Doe assess her situation, thanks so much everyone for responding. I'm hoping Jane Doe will visit a CL office to get it "from the horse's mouth", to make it all seem a bit more real. i know all too well, you have to crunch the numbers, before you leave the sinking ship.