Spending The Baby Bonus… On Plasma TVs?
7 04 2008A childfree reader of Like It Is from Australia sent me this interesting story (thank you V!) and I wanted to share it with you all. The story is from Australia’s Daily Telegraph, but the actual link has disappeared (or goes to a non-standard web page) so I am posting the story and some of the comments here. Some of the comments are just spot on. Enjoy.
“RETAIL giant Gerry Harvey said it was no secret that couples were splurging the baby bonus on televisions, alcohol and holidays.
The Harvey Norman boss said he had seen young families spending their baby bonus on wide-screen television and computers.
“They’ve called it the plasma bonus, haven’t they? They spend it on everything,” Mr Harvey told The Daily Telegraph yesterday. The revelation from one of Australia’s biggest retailers comes as the Federal Government considers dramatic changes to the baby bonus scheme, effectively cancelling out the lump-sum arrangements currently in place.
One proposal being examined would include 14 weeks’ paid maternity leave rather than a $4133 payment to new mothers, which is due to rise to $5000 on July 1 this year.
Mr Harvey said there would be a small ripple effect felt along a number of retail industries if the lump sum system was changed.” If they pulled it, it would have a very minimal effect on Harvey Norman, but it goes across every sector from alcohol to food to entertainment and overseas trips. It goes to everything,” he said.
ACTU president Sharan Burrow this week said the new incentives being examined by the Rudd Government would include a paid maternity leave scheme. She said it would be delivered in weekly or fortnightly instalments rather than in a lump sum that could be spent on luxury goods.
A 14-week scheme paid at the minimum wage rate would give women $7310.
The Government has asked the Productivity Commission to inquire into the structure of a Government-funded scheme.The baby bonus was introduced by John Howard in 2004 to help parents meet some of the initial costs associated with having a baby.”
Source: The Daily Telegraph
Here are some of the comments. As there were 160 of them I thought a selection would suffice – I’m sure you’ll have no trouble adding your own. It doesn’t look as if Australia has paid maternity leave. But it looks like getting paid to reproduce is the key to a spending spree anyway. And taxpayers, among whom are the childfree of course get nothing – while they have to contribute not only to peoples need to have kids, but to their apparent willingness to splurge.
I like this comment by Pissed off myself: “What I want to know is - where is MY BONUS for not having children and bludging off the rest of the country !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Seems that being self-sufficient counts for nothing these days. Except to be a never ending resource for funding the desires of others – including, it seems luxury goods.Having kids could be quite the cash cow. And the funny thing is that these childed will be the ones who turn around and tell us we are leeching off society because we’re not breeding (and creating more little taxpayers – presumably to fund our old age. We considered the cost of having children. Yet here we are with people who clearly can’t afford kids but still have them and need government support and the childfree are funding them instead??!
Comments from the article:
“Rebecca from Caufield, the Government (ie, the taxpayer) does not owe you because you want to have kids. Your situation is far from unique and everyone else seems to get buy. Either means test it and give it in the from of fortnightly payments, or put it into free public education.
Posted by: Andrew of Engadine 1:25pm today
Thanks for your comments Sara. Once again I ask why I should pay for your need to be a mum? To be frank, I don’t care about your needs. Yes, I am selfish, so what? So is your belief that I should fund your need to reproduce. I dont see the correlation between that and highways, as one benefits the society in whole and the other just satisfies your dream of being a mummy. Get over yourself.
What I want to know is - where is MY BONUS for not having children and bludging off the rest of the country !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Posted by: Pissed of really badly of Sydney 1:23pm today
Open up a Baby bonus store? Are you serious NV of Sydney? Yeah…lets give some monopoly the power to jack up the already over-inflated prices of baby goods in this country and profit some more. I’m sure Coles and Woolworths would love to jump on that band wagon.
Posted by: Megan of Sydney 1:22pm today
My cousin has 4 children and with the thanks of the Government’s baby bonus, it helps her in obtaining drugs to stick in her arm.
Posted by: Tanya of Lidcombe 1:12pm today
The baby bonus should be given in the form of vouchers, that can’t be transferred for cash…..or maybe company’s like Johnson & Johnson, Huggies or Bonds should, in conjunction with the Government, send the new parents a supply of baby products…….. $5000 can buy a lot of clothing, nappies and baby powder
Posted by: Jade of Sydney 11:54am today
James of Syd makes so much sense. When children are babies they are the cheapest they will ever be. If you cant afford to care for a baby on your own income how on earth are you going to be able to give this child and any others you may have any sort of decent life ? By means testing the baby bonus we will only be rewarding people who choose to have children who will be a further drain on tax payers. We should be encouraging people who can afford to have children without baby bonus, paid maternity leave & childcare benefits to have more. A reverse means test is a great idea. Maybe then my kids wont have to deal with the behavioural problems at school that result from parents who cant afford to look after their kids and who have spent most of their life in daycare, before school care and after school care.
Posted by: lu of sydney 11:52am today
Someone has to look after the children while the parents are forced to work two jobs to make ends meet. This is nothing but media hype and the media should be ashamed of themselves for this article without any real facts. Asking the teller at Harvey Norman is hardly true facts but only media hype. Here go our basic freedoms to choose.
Posted by: Ems of West Syd 11:46am today
The baby bonus was a big fat bribe by howard and costello in order to get their vote up in 2004 and 2007. The second time around it didn’t work for them, shame about that (not). Because every expectant mother was entitled to it regardless of income, it quickly became another form of middle/upper class welfare (like the tax cuts for the wealthy). Think Sarah Murdoch and the latest Mrs Packer: they got it too and that in itself is an absolute scandal. They certainly don’t require welfare payments of any sort, if they just paid their fair share of taxes the whole country would benefit. What is required is maternity leave for all working mothers (Worstchoices put an end to existing ML entitlements) and for those who need it, a child benefit to be paid fortnightly to the mother. This allows for expenses to continue over the child’s growing years until they reach an age where they become independent (16+). In my view, the BB should be abolished and replaced with a fairer system of support for parents who are genuinely in need of assistance.
Posted by: Rosalind of Queens Park 11:45am today”
Technorati Tags: childfree
Interesting post!
My first thought was:” Its obvious what parents miss..!”..that is…being able to spend money on themselves.
I almost feel sorry for them missing out like that..(hehe)..
Maybe next stage is that every childfree person have to take over the monthly payment on the childed neighbours car-loan or pay their holiday once a year?
Even if I dont mind (so much…) to help raising the new generation by paying my tax, it seems like something is wrong!
I think childfree Australians should try to find comfort in the fact that even without a fat bribe and what-not, they will STILL have more money to spend! After all, that ‘cheap’ baby will once day grow into an expensive teenager, and I’m not talking about the classic brat that only wants to wear designer clothes. Even a teen with cheap taste in food and clothing and zero interest in expensive gadets like iPods and gameconsoles, will take a pretty big bite out of your budget. The australian government is stupid if they believe bribing potential parents will help. It will actually worsen the situation! Why? Because everyone with a double-digit IQ knows that having kids to make money is just about as effective as putting out a fire with gasoline. The ones that DO fall for it, are complete and utter morons, who we really should not be wanting to pass on their genes.
The politicians rushed this lunacy into being on the back of all the clamour about the falling birth rate and how the immigrants are going to take over. (If you know anything about the average Aussie, you’d know what a highly effective scare tactic that is). Yet it’s obvious to anyone reading those comments that the average man in the street sees it for what it is, and they know full well what’s going to happen to the money.
It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that they’re actively encouraging a whole new generation of social problems. Yet I’ll bet that within the next few years, a number of Western nations will do exactly the same thing, because we must maintain the white European birth rate, don’t cha know? No matter that those kids are neglected and abused dropouts who contribute a fat zero to society, it’s the bums on seats that count.
Some of the comments were spot on re giving it to them in the form of vouchers for baby products, or paying for their maternity leave at minimum wage. Any form of cash incentive doesn’t work, in most cases it will just end up in the hands of the parents. spent on cigarettes and alcohol. Sad for the kids, but true.
I wondered when this was introduced how long it would take for the politicos to figure that as an idea, it’s right up there with the Hindenburg. Guess now we know.
Kat: I heard Australians were such friendly people welcomming foreigners?
Government should use money on educating people before they become parents instead of paying tv and beer when the tragedy is already a fact.
Happy to be CF!
bums on seats, votes in government.