Wednesday, 18 June 2025

 Bill TILLEY (Benambra) (19:04): (1193) I wish to raise a matter for the Minister for Children in the other place, the Honourable Lizzie Blandthorn. The action I seek is for the minister to explain to the constituents of Benambra why care allowance payments have been drastically reduced and whether this is part of a wider issue of budget cutbacks. In 2020 Bill and Le-Ann Mitchell assumed responsibility for the full-time care of their three-year-old grandson due to the tragic death of his mother and significant and difficult circumstances faced by the father, who is their son. The Department of Health and Human Services were involved and requested the Mitchells provide for the grandson under a kinship care arrangement. An application for permanent care is proceeding through the courts and is supported by the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing. Initially they received a level 1 care allowance of $427.05 per fortnight. Subsequently the care allowance was increased, and for the past two years the grandparents have received a level 4 care allowance of $1181.48 per fortnight. In May 2025, without any official notification or documentation being received, their care allowance was reduced back to a level 1, at $462.03 per fortnight. They advised me that the caseworker told them, ‘Everybody’s payments are going down. It’s cost cutting by the government.’ This is one of the bureaucrats; this is one of the workers within DFFH that is sharing that with clients.

The grandparents are aware of others in the same position who have also had their payments reduced. Bill and Le-Ann are both in their 70s and retired, with limited funds. They do not live a grandiose lifestyle and are certainly not mercenary in their approach, but they fear that they will struggle to support their grandson with the reduced funding. In a time of increasing cost of living and immense pressure being placed on the family unit on a daily basis, this is not the time for a caring and responsible government to reduce much-needed support to struggling families, and I call on the minister to explain what is going on.