The Greens say that the HILDA survey showing a steep increase in single parent families living in poverty is a shocking outcome and a clear indication that the Parenting Payment Single must be reinstated until the youngest child turns 16.
“There is a direct correlation between the increase in the poverty rate of single parents and the Howard and Gillard Governments chucking single parents off the Parenting Payment onto Newstart when their youngest child turned eight,” Senator Rachel Siewert, Australian Greens spokesperson on Family and Community Services said.
This political decision has condemned hundreds of thousands of children to poverty and set them up for a life of disadvantage and poor well being.
This disaster of a policy needs to be remedied and we must reinstate Parenting Payment Single for single parents until their youngest child is 16.
