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 Restructuring the Baby Bonus System to create a healthier generation of Australians

by Katy Ryder | 14-Dec-2009 | Comments (1) Tags: protection from child abuse or neglect, Baby Bonus  8 ratings. Please log in to rate and comment

Restructuring the Baby Bonus System to create a stronger generation of Australians

    The baby bonus system was implemented in 2004 by the Howard Government to combat the problems of an aging population, but ultimately has caused more damage than remedy in some parts of Australia. Growing up in a relatively low socio-economic area, I have witnessed first hand how the baby bonus can, while benefitting some, exacerbate already bad conditions in areas where drug and alcohol abuse is rampant and literacy and standard of living is low. While it is excellent to offer assistance to families and encourage population growth it is also prudent to consider the way in which we offer this assistance to protect both the child, family and the community. Government payments should only be received when the social responsibility and duty of care of a parent is met in terms of health and well-being for both the child and the family. This could range from something as simple as mandatory immunisations to parents taking a parenting workshop at their local council or community centre. Finally, the argument must be posed that while population growth is desired in Australian society the baby bonus will not solve the aging population dilemma.

    Common sense principles can be applied to offer government assistance to promote family health and well-being while simultaneously safeguarding against child neglect and abuse. Without checks and balances in place there is no guarantee of maintained good health or education despite generous assistance in funding to families. Children’s health and well-being are vital to this nation’s future and the government must be more proactive in this area by introducing regulations into the baby bonus system. Every growing family should have the opportunity to make the most council programs and can be supported by their local communities. Government support should not automatically be equated to money, and its time for the government to stop throwing money at the problem of the aging population and take a proactive approach.

    Amendments made in 2007 helped in solving some of the problems resulting from the baby bonus system which need to be recognised as progress. The prime example of this is the voluntary income management which allows Centrelink customers to have their government income such as baby bonuses and family allowance to be managed by Centrelink to meet families’ priority needs. This is an excellent initiative which offers help to families who struggle with tight budget, however, it does not necessarily safeguard a child and is a voluntary service. The maternity immunisation allowance is also an excellent incentive which has promoted the well-being of children. However these initiatives could all be incorporated into the baby bonus as conditions of payment. While exclusions from these conditions must be considered in special circumstances, parenting programs, mandatory immunisation, health checks, and completion of primary and secondary education should be either provided by the government or rewarded by the interval payments of the baby bonus in the place of lump sum payments.

    Parenting is a skill that takes practice, patience and an abundance of knowledge. While not every aspect of this skill can be learned from others, as each child is unique, there is a wealth of knowledge to be learned from the experience of others and trained professionals who have a career working with children. Parenting workshops would not only be a powerful tools for the average Australian family but also an essential guide to families who struggle with to support their children, divorced parents, single parents, same-sex couples, young parents and first time parents. Several aspects could be included in these workshops, or related courses, such as first aid which could prepare parents for emergencies or healthy eating which could prevent childhood obesity. Parenting workshops will also help create essential contacts for families in areas of family assistance, child care, social or counselling services, health care and education. By making community parenting workshops a condition of payment for the first child, the baby bonus would provide essential skills for parenting while promoting community interaction and help detect warning signs of child abuse or neglect. This is a type of support that cannot be forged by simply assisting families through lump sum payments.

    Childhood immunisation is completely essential to a holistic health approach for children. While the Maternity Immunisation Assistance provides financial for childhood immunisation, merging this program with the baby bonus, as a condition rather than an option, would increase immunity a hundred fold and provide progress to current health initiatives. The current Maternity Immunisation Assistance provides a lump sum payment for immunisations at 18 months, plus an additional payment to parents who have fully immunised children by their 5^th birthday. This is an excellent initiative that should be incorporated into the baby bonus program, however, exemptions on medical, religious or ethical grounds should still be considered. Free immunisation services should be promoted on local and state government levels wherever possible. While lump sums can provide a financial incentive for immunisation, this is a service that needs to reduce in cost. This is already happening in many areas and must be further improved.

    A further condition of the baby bonus program would be 6 monthly health checks for children under 5 years old. While most parents do this without incentive there are a number of families that would engage in a regular health checks in response to a financial incentive. While promoting good family relations and maintain family health this system would once again safeguard against abuse and neglect. Currently the baby bonus is a bandaid solution to increasing population and it does not go deep enough to support families well being, resulting in dysfunctional families and unseen child abuse, particularly in the cases of alcohol and drug abuse.

    While encouraging higher birth rates is important the current baby bonus scheme will not solve the aging population problem as the generation being born at the moment will be reaching their very early working life as the aging generation reaches retirement, and ultimately the baby bonus parents will be the people in the prime of their working life. Therefore we cannot allow the continuance of welfare related problems where we can take a proactive approach to protect the health and well-being of our future generation.

By Katy Ryder

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