This sounds hard, but in reality it just means pulling your belt a little tighter and improvising more. Women of my generation who raised children on their own under the last Labor government will remember interest rates of 18% and such low government benefits - you had no choice but to work to survive.
Perhaps it's about time someone took a tough stance on our out of control welfare system which we can thank the Coalition for. It's going to be tough on some people, but better that they start toughening up now rather than later as our economy declines further. Welfare was originally implemented for the needy, not the greedy - yet the Coalition encouraged greed in the wealthy and middle class with his generous welfare packages. Will Abbott do the same?
Gillard in the face of adversity has got the guts to make some strong policy changes. If we continue the way we are going, because our welfare bill can't be sustained economically - our social policy, defence and infrastructure will be compromised even further.
Australians who have become sole parents since 2006 already lose the parenting payment when their children turn eight. But a "grandfathering" provision legislated by the Howard government means that the families who were already on the payment in 2006 get to keep it until their youngest child turns 16, whenever that child is born.
"It means a family could still be grandfathered in another 16 years' time if they have another child tomorrow," a government source said. "An otherwise identical family living next door with a child born the same day would only get the payment for eight years."
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