Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek says millions of Australians to benefit from welfare payment changes as new measures announced
Minister for Social Services Tanya Plibersek has revealed sweeping measures in a bid to ease cost of living pressures, with millions of Australians soon set to receive a boost in welfare payments.
A number of rates, limits and thresholds will see a 2.4 per cent increase to 'ensure they keep pace' with cost of living, the minister has announced.
Households collecting Family Tax Benefit Part and Part B payments will be among those covered, with rates to increase to up to $295.82 every fortnight.
More Australians will also be eligible for Paid Parental Leave (PPL), with income limit adjustments among the new measures coming into effect next month.
Ms Plibersek has claimed over 2.4 million people who receive welfare payments will be aided by the changes.
'Indexation keeps payment rates and thresholds in line with the wider economy and makes sure our social security system remains a safety net that Australians can rely on,' a statement from the minister's office said. .
More Australians will also be eligible for Paid Parental Leave (PPL) with income limits among the new measures.
People earning up to $180,007 annually can receive PPL under the new measures, as well as families with a taxable income of up to $373,094 per year.
Ms Plibersek has insisted that tackling cost of living pressures is a top priority for the Albanese government.
'From 1 July, millions of recipients of social security payments will see more money in their bank accounts,' the Social Services Minister said in the announcement.
'Payments like the Family Tax Benefit help cover the costs of raising children for many Australian families, and indexation is a crucial way to help families when cost of living rises.
'Combined with Labor's tax cuts, increased wages, cheaper medicines, cuts to student debt, and energy bill relief, Labor is making a real difference to help ease the cost of living.'
Some of the other changes coming into effect on July 1 include increases to asset limits for JobSeeker Payment, Austudy, and Youth Allowance recipients.
The Albanese government came under heavy criticism over its efforts to mitigate of cost of living pressures in the lead-up to this year's federal election, and Institute of Public Affairs' Colleen Harkin on Tuesday blasted Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for his 'negligence' in addressing the issue when he spoke at the National Press Club earlier that day.
'There was a lot of lofty motherhood statements. It was like reading a Hallmark gift card, really,' Ms Harkin told Sky News Host Rita Panahi regarding the speech.
'...But the problem with this is it's not ambition, it's actually negligence, because the real difference that he can make in people's lives is the coast of living and their energy bills.'
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West Australian
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She advised parents to speak to their children regularly about how to stay safe online, set up accounts and devices together and establish clear rules about the use of technology as well as parental safety tools. "Parental tools should be a vital part of any family's online safety strategy," she said. More than half of Australian parents are not using online safety parental controls, new research provided exclusively to ACM has found. The survey of 1007 Australian parents of children aged 17 and younger, commissioned by the photo and video app Snapchat, examined awareness levels, uptake and attitudes towards online safety parental tools. It found that while 82 per cent of Australian parents are aware of online safety parental controls, 57 per cent are not using them on apps and online platforms. The survey found that when Australian parents do use parental tools, the overwhelming majority find them helpful. 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Snapchat's global safety head Jacqueline Beauchere rejected the ban in August 2024, saying the decision was one that should be left to families. "Arguably, a young person could potentially be a bit more mature at 16 than they are at 13, but that is for an individual family to decide, and that's based on a number of factors," she told AAP. "These decisions really need to be made as a family unit with, hopefully, parents involved or other caregivers or guardians or other trusted adults, to really know if that young person is ready to be part of social media." Cybersafety consultant Susan MacLean said parents were grappling with a digital world that many didn't experience when they themselves were growing up. Ms MacLean said while awareness of parental controls was growing, too many Australian parents still aren't utilising the options available to them. "When young people become teenagers, often getting a mobile phone for the first time, their use of technology can increase substantially," she said. "So using parental tools is just as important for families with high schoolers at home, to help ensure they are set up for safer experiences online." It was important that parents of teenagers were using safety tools, not just parents of primary school-aged children. She advised parents to speak to their children regularly about how to stay safe online, set up accounts and devices together and establish clear rules about the use of technology as well as parental safety tools. "Parental tools should be a vital part of any family's online safety strategy," she said. More than half of Australian parents are not using online safety parental controls, new research provided exclusively to ACM has found. The survey of 1007 Australian parents of children aged 17 and younger, commissioned by the photo and video app Snapchat, examined awareness levels, uptake and attitudes towards online safety parental tools. It found that while 82 per cent of Australian parents are aware of online safety parental controls, 57 per cent are not using them on apps and online platforms. The survey found that when Australian parents do use parental tools, the overwhelming majority find them helpful. Of the 66 per cent that have used online safety parental controls, 92 per cent say they help them keep their family safer online, and 93 per cent would recommend their use to other families. Parents of teens were less likely to have used parental tools and controls than those with children 5-12 years old. The research comes amid an under-16s social media ban in Australia, which will come into effect later this year. The laws will capture platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit and X (formerly Twitter). Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at the time that social media is doing "social harm" to young Australians, and he was calling time on it. "The safety and mental health of our young people has to be a priority, and my government will do all that we can to protect our young Australians, but also to provide support for parents and teachers who are dealing with these issues. Snapchat's global safety head Jacqueline Beauchere rejected the ban in August 2024, saying the decision was one that should be left to families. "Arguably, a young person could potentially be a bit more mature at 16 than they are at 13, but that is for an individual family to decide, and that's based on a number of factors," she told AAP. "These decisions really need to be made as a family unit with, hopefully, parents involved or other caregivers or guardians or other trusted adults, to really know if that young person is ready to be part of social media." Cybersafety consultant Susan MacLean said parents were grappling with a digital world that many didn't experience when they themselves were growing up. Ms MacLean said while awareness of parental controls was growing, too many Australian parents still aren't utilising the options available to them. "When young people become teenagers, often getting a mobile phone for the first time, their use of technology can increase substantially," she said. "So using parental tools is just as important for families with high schoolers at home, to help ensure they are set up for safer experiences online." It was important that parents of teenagers were using safety tools, not just parents of primary school-aged children. She advised parents to speak to their children regularly about how to stay safe online, set up accounts and devices together and establish clear rules about the use of technology as well as parental safety tools. "Parental tools should be a vital part of any family's online safety strategy," she said. More than half of Australian parents are not using online safety parental controls, new research provided exclusively to ACM has found. The survey of 1007 Australian parents of children aged 17 and younger, commissioned by the photo and video app Snapchat, examined awareness levels, uptake and attitudes towards online safety parental tools. It found that while 82 per cent of Australian parents are aware of online safety parental controls, 57 per cent are not using them on apps and online platforms. The survey found that when Australian parents do use parental tools, the overwhelming majority find them helpful. Of the 66 per cent that have used online safety parental controls, 92 per cent say they help them keep their family safer online, and 93 per cent would recommend their use to other families. Parents of teens were less likely to have used parental tools and controls than those with children 5-12 years old. The research comes amid an under-16s social media ban in Australia, which will come into effect later this year. The laws will capture platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit and X (formerly Twitter). Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at the time that social media is doing "social harm" to young Australians, and he was calling time on it. "The safety and mental health of our young people has to be a priority, and my government will do all that we can to protect our young Australians, but also to provide support for parents and teachers who are dealing with these issues. Snapchat's global safety head Jacqueline Beauchere rejected the ban in August 2024, saying the decision was one that should be left to families. "Arguably, a young person could potentially be a bit more mature at 16 than they are at 13, but that is for an individual family to decide, and that's based on a number of factors," she told AAP. "These decisions really need to be made as a family unit with, hopefully, parents involved or other caregivers or guardians or other trusted adults, to really know if that young person is ready to be part of social media." Cybersafety consultant Susan MacLean said parents were grappling with a digital world that many didn't experience when they themselves were growing up. Ms MacLean said while awareness of parental controls was growing, too many Australian parents still aren't utilising the options available to them. "When young people become teenagers, often getting a mobile phone for the first time, their use of technology can increase substantially," she said. "So using parental tools is just as important for families with high schoolers at home, to help ensure they are set up for safer experiences online." It was important that parents of teenagers were using safety tools, not just parents of primary school-aged children. She advised parents to speak to their children regularly about how to stay safe online, set up accounts and devices together and establish clear rules about the use of technology as well as parental safety tools. "Parental tools should be a vital part of any family's online safety strategy," she said.
