Monday, June 28, 2004
Baby Bonus
The Australian Government has announced a baby bonus of $3,000 to be paid to all mothers of newborns after 1st July 2004. This is a noble idea that the money can help to relieve the financial burden facing families, in particular the socially disadvantage families of having new borns.
Recently, the Government had made a one-off payment to mothers of lower income families at $600 for each child. However, there has been an interesting observation reported. It was reported that the money received by the mother have been used to purchase CDs, playstation and other luxuries other than the basic food and clothing. Worst of all, there is a genuine concern that mothers from a certain socially disadvantage group might spemd the money on cigarettes and drinks. Basically, there is no mean to ensure that the $3000 baby bonus is to be used on the welfare of the baby.
One single mother whose only income is the welfare payment from the Government had appeared on TV interview expressing her intention to have six children. A Principal in a not so effluent school has reported that he knew of two of his schoolgirls planning to have babies in order to quality for the baby bonus. Incidentally, this school has a program to encourage young school girls having babies to stay on the school to complete the high school education instead of dropping out of the education system. Apparently, to these young girls, falling pregnant and having babies would not have an effect on their continuing of secondary education. Many newspapers has reported that there is now a fear that young girls are deliberately falling pregnant due to this bonus payment.
It is hard to imaging what effect $3000 has on a young girl of 13 or 16 who have never in the life in possession of such large sum. There is no mechanism in place to ensure that the money is going to be spent for the wellbeing of the child. A suggestion that the money be paid in periodic payment of smaller sum has not been adopted by the Government.
Anybody who has the experience of raising a child knows that it takes far more money than the $3000 to raise and educate a child to adulthood. However, will those teenage girls and those socially disadvantaged families think about their long-term responsibility before planning to have a baby? Should the baby bonus be a factor in planning to have a baby? So is the baby still laughing?
Recently, the Government had made a one-off payment to mothers of lower income families at $600 for each child. However, there has been an interesting observation reported. It was reported that the money received by the mother have been used to purchase CDs, playstation and other luxuries other than the basic food and clothing. Worst of all, there is a genuine concern that mothers from a certain socially disadvantage group might spemd the money on cigarettes and drinks. Basically, there is no mean to ensure that the $3000 baby bonus is to be used on the welfare of the baby.
One single mother whose only income is the welfare payment from the Government had appeared on TV interview expressing her intention to have six children. A Principal in a not so effluent school has reported that he knew of two of his schoolgirls planning to have babies in order to quality for the baby bonus. Incidentally, this school has a program to encourage young school girls having babies to stay on the school to complete the high school education instead of dropping out of the education system. Apparently, to these young girls, falling pregnant and having babies would not have an effect on their continuing of secondary education. Many newspapers has reported that there is now a fear that young girls are deliberately falling pregnant due to this bonus payment.
It is hard to imaging what effect $3000 has on a young girl of 13 or 16 who have never in the life in possession of such large sum. There is no mechanism in place to ensure that the money is going to be spent for the wellbeing of the child. A suggestion that the money be paid in periodic payment of smaller sum has not been adopted by the Government.
Anybody who has the experience of raising a child knows that it takes far more money than the $3000 to raise and educate a child to adulthood. However, will those teenage girls and those socially disadvantaged families think about their long-term responsibility before planning to have a baby? Should the baby bonus be a factor in planning to have a baby? So is the baby still laughing?
