| Retirees |
- Index pensions to Consumer Price Index instead of wage growth
- Pause indexation (i.e. decrease in real terms) of income-test-free areas for all pensions
- Increase retirement age to 70
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Not yet passed
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| Higher education |
- Deregulate course fees
- Charge interest on HELP student loans by increasing indexation above rate of inflation
- Decrease HELP loan repayment threshold from $53,345 to $50,638
- Reduce Commonwealth Grants to universities
- Pause indexation of HELP loans for carers of young children earning under threshold
- Remove discounts for up-front payments and voluntary repayments of HECS-HELP debt
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Voted down in the Senate. Government reintroduced the bill without the interest charges on student debt, but this was also rejected in the Senate.
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Pause indexation income-free and means-test thresholds for Youth Allowance, Austudy, and Abstudy |
Not yet passed
|
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Abolish Pensioner Education Supplement and Education Entry Payment |
Not yet passed
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Family benefits
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Paid Parental Leave (PPL) payment rates determined according to income of recipient |
Policy abandoned
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Prevent parents from "double dipping" in employer and government PPL payments by limiting the amount they can claim from government if employer offers it |
Not yet passed, Minister intends to review policy
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Child care funding arrangements:
- Abolish Child Care Benefit ($208.50/week for non-school aged kids) and Child Care Rebate (up to $7,500/year)
- Introduce Child Care Subsidy (85% child care fees up to $1155/fortnight) with means and activity testing
|
Not yet passed
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Changes to Family Tax Benefit (round one):
- Freeze payment rates of Parts A and B for two years
- Restrict Part B to families with children under six years (was previously 16)
- Introduce single parent supplement for parents of children 6-12 who qualify for Part A but not Part B
- Reduce end-of-year supplements and freeze them indefinitely
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Foundered in the Senate in October 2014, replaced by new reforms below.
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Changes to Family Tax Benefit (round two):
- Increase FTB Part A by $10.08/fortnight for each child under 20; Youth Allowance and disability pension for under 18s living at home increases by same amount
- Increase FTB Part B by $1000.10/year for families with a child under one
- Reduce FTB Part B by $1737.4/year for single parents whose youngest is 13-16
- Phase out end-of-year supplements by July 2018.
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Not yet passed
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| Medicare |
- $7 GP co-payment
- $5 rebate reduction for GP consultation
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Both abandoned due to lack of public support
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Pause indexation of Medicare rebates for consultations and operations until 2018 |
Introduced after GP co-pay and rebate reductions failed to gain support
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Job seekers
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Young job seekers:
- 22-24 year olds to be paid Youth Allowance instead of the more generous Newstart
- Four week wait for Youth Allowance for under 25s
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Taken out of two larger social services bills when they were resisted in the Senate. Introduced separately in September 2015 as a youth employment bill, which has not yet passed.
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"Learn, earn or Work for the Dole"
- Activity requirements for young people ("learn, earn or Work for the Dole")
- Maximum 6-month waiting period for Newstart for under 30s
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Not yet passed |
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Pause indexation income-free thresholds for Newstart and other working age allowances |
Not yet passed
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