Welfare cuts stuck in federal parliament

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WELFARE CUTS BEING HELD UP BY PARLIAMENT

FAMILY TAX BENEFIT

*Families will no longer be paid the family tax benefit part B when their youngest child turns 13 - exempting single parents and grandparent carers.

*Instead they'll get $1000 a year compensation payment, a loss of about $2000 on what they would receive otherwise. In addition, they'll no longer get a bonus payment of $726 for Part A and $354 for Part B, with both supplements to be phased out by 2018.

*This bill is a lighter version of the 2014 one which proposed cutting off families with kids at age six years. Labor opposes the bill, which has only got as far as the Senate.

AGE PENSION:

*The coalition wants to stops people claiming the pension while they live overseas. From January 2017, seniors would only be able claim the payment if they're overseas for a maximum of six weeks. The pensioner education supplement and the education entry payment would also be cut.

*Another budget measure raises the age at which Australians can access the pension to 70, but this legislation has not been debated since 2014.

YOUTH:

*Young people under 25 will be forced to wait a month before they can receive welfare. This is a backdown on the original proposal to make them wait six months.

PAID PARENTAL LEAVE:

*New parents won't be able to "double-dip" and claim both their employer leave payments and the full taxpayer-funded scheme. If their employer-paid scheme gives them less than the 18 weeks, they'll be able to top-up their payment with the government scheme.