Fed: Govt all talk and no action on helping mothers, Labor says

AAP General News (Australia)
12-20-2003
Fed: Govt all talk and no action on helping mothers, Labor says

CANBERRA, Dec 20 AAP - The federal government was all talk and no action when it came
to helping new mothers, the opposition said today.

The government was today reported to be considering options for a financial assistance
package for women having a baby.

It was considering making direct payments to families in the year in which a baby was
born, The Australian Financial Review said.

Another option was to raise tax thresholds for working women giving birth and for the
husbands of non-working women having babies.

The plan would cost up to $1 billion and would effectively replace the baby bonus scheme
and a current one-off payment to mothers of new babies.

A spokeswoman for acting opposition leader Jenny Macklin said the government should
stop talking about the problems faced by new mothers and do something to help them.

"It's taken them two years to realise the baby bonus is a flop," she said.

"The government's all talk and no action.

"When will (Prime Minister) John Howard stop talking and and do something that works
for new mothers?"

AAP pj/wjf/de

KEYWORD: MATERNITY

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