Thousands of Wyndham families are likely to have extra cash in their pockets next month with the federal government running out of time to pass legislation to scrap its schoolkids bonus.
The bonus, paid to parents in January and July each year, provides eligible families with $410 a year for primary school children and $820 for secondary school children.
As reported by Star Weekly, the government is trying to scrap the bonus, saying it can’t afford the payments as they were funded by the underperforming mining tax, which it hopes to repeal. But it’s unlikely the government will be able to get the necessary legislation through Parliament before June 30.
Iramoo Primary School principal Moira Findlay said the July instalment of the bonus could enable many children to attend school camps later in the year.
Ms Findlay said every Wyndham school had been asked to nominate 10 pupils from grade 5 or 6 to attend a 10-day Education Department camp at Somers in October. The camp costs $210.
She said her school had nominated pupils from families that could not afford holidays to give the children a break.
“The bonus will be the difference between some parents saying yes to their children going to Somers,” she said.
“It’s a special experience. Not many children get to go to the camp.”
Ms Findlay said for other parents, the bonus would help them pay off items, excursions and camps they would otherwise struggle to afford.
Lalor Labor MP Joanne Ryan said while families would welcome the July payments, it was “outrageous” that it might be their last instalment of the bonus.
She said the bonus helped about 18,000 families in Lalor with the basic costs of sending their children to school.
“One additional payment of the schoolkids bonus will be no compensation for Tony Abbott’s savage cuts to families in this year’s budget,’’ Ms Ryan said.
‘‘Tony Abbott’s cruel budget will put more pressure on the budgets of thousands of Lalor families.”
