Ballarat families facing back to school expenses without the School Kids Bonus are expected to flock to emergency relief centres in the next week.
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UnitingCare Ballarat crisis support coordinator Naomi Bailey said they had already had a few families looking for help budgeting school uniform and book list needs.
“I expect next week we might get quite a few people looking for extra help as the school expenses kick in,” Ms Bailey said.
The School Kids Bonus was axed this year after a 2014 budget deal between then prime minister Tony Abbott and Palmer United Party MP Clive Palmer.
It provided $430 for eligible primary school pupils and $856 for secondary school students, with an estimated 262,000 Victorian low-to-medium income families receiving the payment twice a year.
Education charity The Smith Family said thousands of children would start the school year without education essentials as disadvantaged families struggle with the basic costs of public schooling.
The Smith Family’s Victorian general manager Anton Leschen said the organisation was expecting an influx of calls as parents grapple with sending their child back to school without even the basic educational needs.
“The truth is the costs of a child’s educational essentials are out of reach for many disadvantaged families,” Mr Leschen said.
“When a child doesn’t have the basics they need for school, they can feel different and isolated.
“The consequences can be serious – they can become disengaged over time and are at risk of dropping out of school.”
The Smith Family currently supports 33,000 Australian school children through its Learning for Life sponsorship program.
However, it is looking for 6000 new sponsors to help support another 24,000 students by 2020.
For more information about sponsoring a child call 1800 633 622 or visit thesmithfamily.com.au