Is it true?? $1000 per child??

[briggsy's girl]

Liz - if the FAO staff are saying you won't get it, i'd have faith in what they're saying! you can guarantee they've been receiving updates not available to the public within hours of this info coming to light the other day

there is a very real chance that it has restrictions. from what mrsmac is saying, i would assume you'd need to be eligible for FORTNIGHTLY payments, even if it's only a few cents a fortnight. if you look at the table you've linked to, it is the ABSOLUTE limit when the supplements (the $600 per child) cuts out. the threshold for this is significantly higher than the thresholds for fortnightly installments

[Liz]

Well then it's not just qualifying for FTBA is it, it's qualifying for fortnightly payments. Which is a bit deceptive IMO.

if the FAO staff are saying you won't get it, i'd have faith in what they're saying!

LOL - I wouldn't. It's a bit like talking to the tax office - different answer depending on who answers the phone!

Anyway.. I won't know whether we're eligible until we do our 2008/09 tax returns, and going on our track record... that won't be until 2010. LMAO. So i won't be spending the money even in my mind just yet!

[briggsy's girl]

i guess you take from it what you want then - the way people deliver information may be different (we're not robots), and your interpretation of it may vary depending on how it's delivered, but the information is essentially the same. given that they've provided a dollar figure to mrsmac, i'd trust it - do you really think that two days after the payment details are released, the workers at FAO are going to NOT know what thresholds apply?

if you want to nitpick at the wording, i'll point out that there ARE two different payments - FTBA, and FTBA supplement. you can qualify for the supplement without qualifying for FTBA. it is itemised on all letters at the end of financial year as two seperate entitlements. NOTHING that has been released says you need to qualify for FTBA supplement - it says FTBA. it might seem like a minor difference, but a difference it is

[Liz]

Well its a bit like expecting the ato to know all about the GST when it was announced. LOL. That was a joke.

I'm not nit picking.. obviously have never seen the differentiation anywhere re the supplement. It's not on any of my paperwork I'm sure. As far as i'm concerned that table is listed as FTBA.. so *shrug*

I've never got straight answers from any govt department.. and never the same answer either.. so makes me rather skeptical!

[Shanti]

ooooooh Money is such a HOT topic.....always causes debate.... it's such an emotional thing for humans.

I still think the government should be putting this money towards better things...... better roads, better hospitals, MORE hospitals, airconditioning in schools for kids..... sooo much I can think of.....

Money makes people greedy. The more we get, the more we want. (that's my personal opinion, not based on anything any of you have said)

We do live in a "well off society" compared to how our parents lived.... they never got given money from the govt and had to make do.....and they did.

[nic]

Wow BG, that's interesting re: being able to qualify for the supplement without qualifying for FTBA. I never knew that one.

Nic

[briggsy's girl]

LIZ - Go back to the link you posted - look further down the page - it DOES differentiate the FTBA including supplement thresholds (table 2), and FTBA itself (table 3). perhaps, if you claim none of your paperwork includes mention of your supplement, it would be a good idea to re-read the information you got at reconcilliation time. i can guarantee you that you received a statement that says how much FTB you received, and how much supplement.

i don't know what your exact dealings have been with "government" departments have been, so i'm not going to comment on that - but equating the introduction of GST to the inroduction of a supplementary payment isn't doing either department an justice. GST was never going to be clear cut when it was introduced - there was a huge amount of policy to be changed to introduce it - not something anyone could be educated on over night. this supplementary payment is simple. there are qualifying limits - which FAO staff would be made aware of. there are payment dates - again, FAO staff would be made aware of them. nothing else needed!

i guess it annoys me that people get the attitude that "govt departments never give you a straight answer" - it's a load of crap. if you think something doesn't sound right, or doesn't sit well with you as a customer, do what you'd do with any other department - ASK FOR CLARIFICATION! FAO staff are people - they explain a situation, and if someone doesn't admit it doesn't make sense to them, how the hell are they supposed to clarify for that individual?? said individual hangs up, calls back, someone else explains the same thing using different words, it makes sense, so then the first consultant obviously didn't know what they were talking about. Liz, this is NOT directed at you - it's an overall comment - if you don't understand, ASK for it to be explained differently. in threads on here i've had to explain the same information as many as 10 or more times until the wording has made sense for everyone that is reading - and i've only known people didn't get it cos they've asked. if you go yup, makes sense, and hang up when it hasn't, you're doing yourself, and the consultant, a disservice!

[mrsmac]

I was only asking about the $1000 per child thing, she said cause we don't qualify for FTB atm we would be eligible to get the $1K per child at the end of the next tax year IF we earnt less than $115K between us in that year which we won't so we get nothing. She looked up my info so she had the facts on hand. I have always found FAO realy helpful and knowledgeable whenever I have had dealings with them.

[SJmumof2]

OMG!
I think if you get the money then thats great. If you dont then suck it up!
There nothing that any body can do to change the criteria.
Who cares if you need it or dont need it....every ones circumstances are different and dare i say PRIVATE

[C~Q]

OMG!
I think if you get the money then thats great. If you dont then suck it up!
There nothing that any body can do to change the criteria.
Who cares if you need it or dont need it....every ones circumstances are different and dare i say PRIVATE

:yeahthat: Well said SJ

[Pretty Butterfly]

OMG!
I think if you get the money then thats great. If you dont then suck it up!
There nothing that any body can do to change the criteria.
Who cares if you need it or dont need it....every ones circumstances are different and dare i say PRIVATE

Well said!!!

Adam just told me a guy at his work today was a real smart a$$, saying we can take all the kids overseas for a holiday on our $5000, and he wished he could get it for his 2 kids, but doesn't qualify. Adam told him exactly where our money is going, and said wouldn't be nice to earn so much you dont qualify then??!!
What a jerk.

We are raising our 5 kids, and mortgage on $44,000 a year!!! On top of all Kanes expenses. We owe Ad's folks a lot of money as they cover us when we take Kane to Sydney all the time. Not to mention how behind we are with mortgage, elec, ph and gas...I would desperatly LOVE to go back to work, but just cant with Kane.

But of course, because we have 5 kids, we're ferals that will blow it all and dont need it.

I would like to hand him Kane for a year, pull his wife out of work, give him Kanes expenses and say "gee, $5000, what a lot of money for you to just go blow" and see how he'd like it...

[Smoke Jaguar]

I don't care what people do with their money - that's up to them to explain to themselves and their kids!
If you don't need it, donate some to a worthy cause (tax deductible!) for some warm fuzzies! If you do, bloody well use it
$5000 isn't going to get you very far on holiday with 5 kids BTW, not overseas, anyway LOL!
I agree, it would be just peachy if we didn't qualify...

[Phteven]

OMG!
I think if you get the money then thats great. If you dont then suck it up!
There nothing that any body can do to change the criteria.
Who cares if you need it or dont need it....every ones circumstances are different and dare i say PRIVATE

Frankly I think that saying that people should "suck it up" is a tad ill mannered. A person earning 151000 is not a great deal wealthier than a person earning 149000 but they miss out on a payment that may be very useful to them. I can understand why that would be frustrating.
We all have different ideas about what is private and if people want to share then they are more than welcome to do so.

[Pretty Butterfly]

A person earning 151000 is not a great deal wealthier than a person earning 149000 but they miss out on a payment that may be very useful to them. I can understand why that would be frustrating.
.

How true.
Maybe after the $150,000 it could of went on a sliding scale, so most people would of gotten something...

[briggsy's girl]

FWIW - the cut off's for FTBA are a hell of a lot lower than 151k - as mrsmac mentioned, with three kids, you're looking at approx 115k - this is NOT a high income - and someone that is earning a dollar over the threshold for the financial year than that threshold amount goes from potentially $1000 in the bank to NOTHING...

[Smoke Jaguar]

Yes, Dach, it's all relative, that's true. However, as one who has never lived on the other side of $26, 500 pa in personal income, I cannot fathom the notion of earning 149K and needing an extra $1000 to keep my head above water!! That's just me - keeping it simple out of necessity!

[christy]

Hello there.... just a friendly notice to keep this on track

Blaming government employees is not on, as well as others who will or will not get payment depending on their personal circumstances. Let's all try on someone elses shoes and post after we've lived in them for a day or so.

[maz]

Christy

We can all talk about babies, love and families happily but as soon as it gets to money people, no matter who we are, we get so strung up its not funny (me included)

Happy thoughts babes.....I think a meet up in every city by us BB girls at the time would be a great idea and then we could shout the girls who didnt get the lump sum.