BENDIGO emergency relief agencies are bracing for an influx of requests for support from parents after the axing of the Schoolkids Bonus.
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The federal government ended the payment from the start of 2017. It provided $430 for eligible primary school children, and $856 for secondary school.
The Schoolkids Bonus was the second parenting payment to face the cut in two years in Victoria, after the state government chose not to fully reinstate the Education Maintenance Allowance.
UnitingCare Bendigo emergency relief centre manager Max Blume said some would find it hard to cope without the payments.
“It’s going to be a big concern for everybody,” he said.
“If that bonus is not coming in, it means there’s going to be a lot of families unable to cope this year. Everything is just so expensive.”
The decision to remove the Schoolkids Bonus stems from a deal between Tony Abbott and Clive Palmer during the 2014 budget. During last year’s election campaign, Labor said it would not re-introduce the payment due to budgetary pressures.
An estimated 262,000 Victorian families accessed the payments, available to those on low-to-medium incomes.
Mr Blume said some could access uniforms through the state school relief committee, but there were still many items that parents would need.
“They might need computers or calculators, and that costs a lot of money. We helped a few people be able to afford the computers last year,” he said.
“We have the capacity to help with a few different schools around the Kangaroo Flat area as well.
“At the end of January, we’ll see a lot of people coming in looking for help with shoes and uniforms.”
St Vincent de Paul is also bracing for an increase in the amount of parents seeking support.
Gary Freely, of St Vincent de Paul Bendigo, said they were expecting a rush for support from parents as the end of January drew near.
“When kids are about to go back to school, that’s when we expect we will get quite a number of requests,” he said.
“Many might not have realised that the payment is gone yet.”
Mr Freely said the cost to send a new student to primary school could “easily” surpass $200, and was even more for high school students.
“People would be struggling at the moment, a lot of people here are single parents who are already reliant on Centrelink payments,” he said.
“These are not rich people.
“We anticipate more people will come to us for support this year. I hope it’s not a massive need though, because we do have limited funds.”
St Vincent de Paul can support parents who require emergency assistance to purchase items for their children.
Michael Sutton, from the Families Division of the Department of Human Services, said an online page had been established offering parents practical tips to save money in the lead-up to the school year.
“Our social media team had many conversations with people about this back in July, when the final installment was being paid,” he said in a statement.
“The team noticed other members of their online community, Family Update, offering tips and suggestions on managing back-to-school costs.
“As part of reminding families about Schoolkids Bonus being phased out, we thought it would be useful to share these tips. This was so parents could find out what other families in similar situations were doing to help manage their back to school costs.”
The former Coalition state government ended the Education Maintenance Allowance in 2013. The payment has been replaced with a direct payment to schools depending on their level of disadvantage.