The Albanese government will lift the single parenting payment cut-off age to 14. Source: Australian Government, Wikimedia Commons
Single parents in Australia will receive single parenting payment until their youngest child turns 14 years old, an increase from the current cut-off age of eight.
This lift will partially reverse a Howard government decision made back in 2006 to lower the cut-off age from 16 to eight.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed this lift would be included in the federal budget tomorrow.
“I know firsthand what it’s like to grow up with a single mum doing it tough, and we want to make sure that the children of single-parent families have the best opportunities in life,” Mr Albanese said.
Back in 2006, the Howard government lowered the cut-off age of receiving single parenting payment to eight years old, down from 16. However, this decision was ‘grandfathered’ – meaning those single parents on the payment from July 2006 would continue to receive it.
In 2012, the Gillard government ended this ‘grandfathering’, lowering the cut-off age for all single parents, and forcing them onto the jobseeker payment.
The Albanese government has now somewhat, but not completely, reversed the cut-off age back to 14-years-old, with Albanese arguing that, “by 14, children have typically settled into high school and need less parental supervision, and single parents are in a much stronger position to take on paid work.”
Parents eligible for single parenting payment will be on a base rate of $922.10 per fortnight – a $176.90 increase for those currently on jobseeker who will be able to move onto single parenting payment.
The lift to the payment should take effect from the 20th of September, however it will still need legislation passed through parliament.
The lift will give an additional 57,000 single parents and carers some additional support – nine out of 10 of whom are women.
However, ‘mutual obligations’ to ‘encourage’ single parents to study or work while raising their children will remain in place.
