2016‑2017‑2018

The Parliament of the

Commonwealth of Australia

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Presented and read a first time

Family Law Amendment (Review of Government Support for Single Parents) Bill 2018

No.      , 2018

(Mr Wilkie)

A Bill for an Act to amend the Family Law Act 1975 to require a review in relation to government support for single parents, and for related purposes

Contents

1............ Short title............................................................................................. 1

2............ Commencement................................................................................... 1

3............ Schedules............................................................................................ 2

Schedule 1—Amendments                                                                                                3

Family Law Act 1975                                                                                                  3

A Bill for an Act to amend the Family Law Act 1975 to require a review in relation to government support for single parents, and for related purposes

The Parliament of Australia enacts:

1  Short title

                   This Act is the Family Law Amendment (Review of Government Support for Single Parents) Act 2018.

2  Commencement

             (1)  Each provision of this Act specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.

Note:          This table relates only to the provisions of this Act as originally enacted. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this Act.

             (2)  Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this Act. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this Act.

3  Schedules

                   Legislation that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect according to its terms.

Schedule 1—Amendments

Family Law Act 1975

1  At the end of subsection 114B(2)

Add:

             ; and (c)  to conduct the review of Government support for single parents under section 114BA.

2  After section 114B

Insert:

114BA  Review of Government support for single parents

             (1)  The Director must conduct a review of the following matters:

                     (a)  The impact of the 2013 decision of the Commonwealth Government to move a parent off pension PP (single) under the Social Security Act 1991 and onto Newstart under that Act when the parent’s youngest child turns 8;

                     (b)  the high rates of poverty in single parent households, and what effect the current rates of social security pensions and social security benefits have on this; and

                     (c)  what the Commonwealth Government can do to better support single parents.

             (2)  The Director must give the Minister a written report of the review within 6 months after the commencement of the Family Law Amendment (Review of Government Support for Single Parents) Act 2018.

             (3)  The Minister must cause copies of the report to be tabled in each House of the Parliament within 15 sitting days of that House after the report is given to the Minister.

             (4)  For the purposes of this section:

social security benefit has the same meaning as in the Social Security Act 1991.

social security pension has the same meaning as in the Social Security Act 1991.