Cost of living pressures affect everyone, but lower-income households spend more of their income on essentials including food, housing, utilities and transport – making it harder to stay afloat with rising prices. And with women earning on average less than men, many are bearing the brunt of cost of living pressures.
That is why we are providing $287 million to help cover the cost of kids’ school, through:
- A one-off School Saving Bonus to help cover the cost of sending kids to school. This $400 bonus will be provided to all government and eligible non-government students, helping families with the cost of uniforms, camps and excursions.
- Tripling the Glasses for Kids program – reaching a further 74,000 Prep to Grade 3 students, giving a total reach of 770 government schools and approximately 108,000 students across the state from 2023-24 to 2026-27. Through free screenings and glasses for students who need them, this program will help identify vision issues early – while saving families time and money.
This Budget also provides $4.6 million to enhance food security and hardship support services including a statewide grant program facilitating efficient food distribution across metropolitan and regional areas, sustaining operations of six Regional Food Relief Hubs, and grants to local community-led food security initiatives.
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