Thursday, January 24, 2013

Schoolkids Bonus Helping Families with Back to School Costs


 
Families and stores across Australia are feeling the benefits of the first Schoolkids Bonus cash payment rolling out this month.
 
With kids going back to school over the next fortnight, parents are out now shopping for things for school.
 
The Schoolkids Bonus - worth $410 for each child in primary school and $820 a year for each high school student - is helping to lighten the load for families. It is paid in two instalments – in January and July.
 
About $588 million has hit the bank accounts of 1.2 million families across Australia since payments began a fortnight ago.
 
That’s $588 million available to Australian families to be spent in local businesses like book shops, shoe shops, sports shops, department stores and stationery outlets on back to school items like school uniforms, shoes, school books and stationery.
 
Families can also set some money aside to pay for future school excursions or other future school related expenses like sports registration fees and music lessons.
 
The Treasurer, Wayne Swan, and the Minister for Families, Jenny Macklin, today visited Officeworks in Milton, Queensland to talk to staff and local families about the how the Schoolkids Bonus was helping them out.
 
In the local government area of Brisbane, about 40,600 families have received the Schoolkids Bonus January payment worth a total of about $19 million.
 
The top 10 local government areas in Queensland for Schoolkids Bonus cash payments are Brisbane, Gold Coast, Moreton Bay, Logan, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich, Cairns, Townsville, Toowoomba, Redland.
 
Some families who claim their Family Tax Benefit at the end of the financial year will receive their payment then.
 
Families receiving Family Tax Benefit Part A, as well as young people in school receiving Youth Allowance, and others receiving certain income support or veterans’ payments are eligible for the Schoolkids Bonus.
 
Tony Abbott has promised to cut the Schoolkids Bonus - on top of his plans to get rid of the tax cuts and extra family payments this Government delivered last year to help with household costs.
 
For the latest information about the Schoolkids Bonus and other family assistance measures, visit www.australia.gov.au/schoolkidsbonus or like the Australian Families Facebook page at www.facebook.com/FamiliesInAustralia.
 
Top 10 Local Government Areas (LGA) in each state and territory:
 
 
Queensland

LGA
Number of families
Total $
Brisbane
40,625
$19.0m
Gold Coast
30,847
$14.3m
Moreton Bay
25,880
$12.7m
Logan
22,551
$11.4m
Sunshine Coast
20,315
$9.6m
Ipswich
13,578
$6.8m
Cairns
11,282
$5.4m
Townsville
10,202
$4.9m
Toowoomba
9,545
$4.9m
Redland
7,564
$3.7m
Queensland total
256,139
$125.0m
 
New South Wales

LGA
Number of families
Total $
Blacktown
22,770
$11.9m
Fairfield
16,617
$8.4m
Bankstown
14,123
$7.5m 
Liverpool
14,317
$7.5m
Campbelltown
11,861
$6.2m
Penrith
11,784
$6.1m
Wyong
11,038
$5.6m
Lake Macquarie
10,509
$5.2m
Wollongong
9,993
$4.9m
Parramatta
9,728
$4.8m
NSW total
380,719
$191.9m
 
Victoria

LGA
Number of families
Total $
Casey
20,456
$10.4m
Hume
14,033
$7.4m
Brimbank
13,456
$6.7m
Greater Geelong
12,725
$6.2m
Wyndham
12,307
$6.1m
Whittlesea
11,210
$5.6m
Greater Dandenong
10,460
$5.1m
Yarra Ranges
9,169
$4.6m
Melton
8,802
$4.4m
Frankston
8,649
$4.2m
Victoria total
295,930
$147.1m
 
Tasmania

LGA
Number of families
Total $
Launceston
4,573
$2.2m
Glenorchy
3,673
$1.7m
Clarence
3,260
$1.6m
Kingborough
2,160
$1.0m
Devonport
1,959
$960,000
Brighton
1,693
$840,000
Hobart
1,680
$740,000
Central Coast
1,475
$740,000
Burnie
1,456
$740,000
West Tamar
1,409
$730,000
Tasmania total
34,660
$17.0m
 
South Australia

LGA
Number of families
Total $
Onkaparinga
11,845
$5.4m
Salisbury
10,460
$4.8m
Playford
7,645
$3.6m
Port Adelaide Enfield
7,382
$3.3m
Tea Tree Gully
5,595
$2.6m
Charles Sturt
5,525
$2.5m
Marion
4,446
$2.0m
Campbelltown
2,531
$1.1m
West Torrens
2,426
$1.1m
Mitcham
2,180
$980,000
SA total
95,447
$44.0m
 
Western Australia

LGA
Number of families
Total $
Wanneroo
   9,883
 $4.8m
Swan
   6,968
 $3.4m
Stirling
   7,201
 $3.3m
Gosnells
   6,457
 $3.1m
Rockingham
   5,857
 $2.8m
Joondalup
   5,316
 $2.5m
Cockburn
   4,141
 $1.9m
Armadale
   3,993
 $1.9m
Mandurah
   3,790
 $1.8m
Canning
   3,427
 $1.6m
WA total
103,578
$49.4m
 
Northern Territory

LGA
Number of customers
Total $
Darwin
   3,272
 $1.6m
Palmerston
   1,775
 $860,000
Alice Springs
   1,385
 $660,000
East Arnhem
   1,327
 $640,000
Litchfield
      823
 $430,000
Roper Gulf
      748
 $410,000
Barkly
      751
 $370,000
Victoria-Daly
      707
 $360,000
West Arnhem
      718
 $340,000
Katherine
      634
 $320,000
NT total
 13,811
$6.8m
 
Australian Capital Territory
 
Number of families
Total $
ACT total
12,082
$5.8m


2 January 2013
Joint Media Release with:
The Hon Wayne Swan MP,
Deputy Prime Minister and Treasurer
 
Image:FreeDigitalPhotos.net