Labor indicates family tax benefit change

Labor has given its strongest indication yet it might back cuts to family payments.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten was quizzed at a Brisbane forum on Wednesday night by a mother-of-eight concerned about proposed cuts to the $3139 annual family tax benefit Part B.

"I'd like to say that everything can stay as it is but I think with the budget challenges we've got that promise can't be made," he replied.

Labor has staunchly opposed the coalition's plan to cut the payment to parents with children over 13 years of age.

Mr Shorten said the opposition's focus on the payment was ensuring it went to those on incomes of less than $100,000.

But he insisted Labor's policy would leave families better off than under the coalition.

"We're going to be a much better bet than that other mob."

Labor supported a cut to Part-B of the benefit to coupled families, but not single parents and grandparent carers.

But it's still holding up legislation in parliament which abolishes a number of family bonus payments - about $700 for Part A and $350 for Part B.

The coalition want both supplements to be phased out by 2018 to pay for a childcare policy.