Labor Member for Rankin, Jim Chalmers, has called on Tony Abbott to explain to more than 14,000 local families why they are ripping money out of the family budget by attacking payments that assist them with school costs for their children.

The Government introduced legislation to repeal the Schoolkids bonus on the first day of Parliament this week. Around Australia, over 1.2 million low and middle-income Australian families will be made worse off by this savage cut, as will many schools who will struggle to recoup fees.

Member for Rankin, Jim Chalmers, said, “This will be a big hit for working families in Logan who use the money to pay off school fees and purchase school uniforms, two of the biggest costs for families with school-aged children.”

“Joe Hockey is trying to mislead Australian families by scrapping the Schoolkids Bonus as part of the repeal of the MRRT. The Schoolkids Bonus replaced the Education Tax Refund and has nothing to do with the MRRT.”

“With Christmas coming up and a new school year just around the corner, the last thing families need is to lose $410 for each child in primary school and $820 for each child in secondary school, when they need it most.”