Labor’s early childhood education spokeswoman, Amanda Rishworth, released what she called a “secret hit list” on Sunday, after documents released under freedom of information revealed which electorates would be hardest hit by the changes. “So out-of-touch is the Turnbull government, it has targeted families in the lowest income bracket, with 88,000 families earning less than $65,710 worse off under its changes,” she said. Under that reading, Western Australia was the worst off, with 67.55 of families receiving more, 5% seeing no change and 27.5% receiving less. “Our plan supports families that need it the most by better targeting subsidies to people earning the least and to families working the most,” the education minister, Simon Birmingham, said. “We make no apologies for increasing childcare subsidies to those Australians working the hardest but doing it the toughest, to allow them to work more hours or take more of their wage home each week.”

Source: The Guardian January 14, 2018 00:11 UTC