Abbott betrays families on benefits:Labor

Labor frontbencher Mark Butler says the federal government's plan to cut $3000 a year in benefits to half a million families is another betrayal by Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

A Senate estimates hearing last week was told that from July 2017 about 576,000 families will lose eligibility to Family Tax Benefit B when their youngest child turns six, saving $3.5 billion to help pay for new childcare measures.

"This is another betrayal by a prime minister who promised families in the clearest possible terms this year that the Australian budget would not come at the expense of their household budget," Mr Butler told reporters in Adelaide on Sunday.