NSW budget: family burden eased by $2bn

Handouts to households have hit $2 billion, with subsidies for kids’ sport doubling to $200.

Lisa Hodgkins with children Olivia-Rose, 8, and James Hodgkins, 5, in Sydney. Picture: Adam Yip

Handouts to households have hit $2 billion, with subsidies for kids’ sport doubling to $200 and other sweeteners bolstered to ease the burden of toll roads and public transport.

The Active Kids program will now provide two $100 vouchers for children’s sport, and car registration fees will be halved for those spending $15 a week, or $780 a year, on tolls.

Previously, the toll road program was restricted to those spending $1300 a year on tolls, or $25 a week. Registration fees are waived for those commuters.

There was also budget relief for users of public transport, with Opal card charges capped at $50 a week, down from $63, at a cost over four years of $69.9 million.

The pain of the school pick-up will also be eased, with before- and after-school programs extended at a cost over four years of $120m.

There was also a $70m commitment over four years to give as many as 136,000 primary school students free dental checks and basic dental care through 35 mobile clinics.

They will cater to children in western Sydney, the mid-north coast and the central coast. Parents will be able to register for the program from July 1, but the clinics will not be rolled out until 2021-22.

While the Active Kids program was doubled, the Creative Kids program, giving children the chance to take music, art or dance lessons, was restricted to one $100 voucher per child.

For Lisa Hodgkins, the expansion of the Active Kids program will not only allow her children to take up a new sport, but will also mean they won’t risk having to discontinue an activity mid-year due to costs.

An education consultant who works as a contractor from her home in Neutral Bay, on Sydney’s north shore, she uses Active Kids vouchers on swimming lessons for her children Olivia-Rose, 8, and James, 5, saving $100 per child on the annual cost of about $800 each.

While the expanded voucher scheme won’t cover the entire cost of new activities, Ms Hodgkins will still rely on after-school activities as a form of childcare so she is able to work longer hours.

“It’s a small amount but it helps a lot. I’ll never complain about help like that,” she said.

James also plays cricket and soccer in an informal league, and Olivia-Rose attends dance classes, which Ms Hodgkins pays for with the help of a Creative Kids voucher.

Ms Hodgkins is also looking to enrol James in a “Little Tradies” program that accepts Creative Kids vouchers.

“I do know other parents who have to pull their kids out of some activities before the end of the year,” she said.

“The extra voucher is just a guarantee they can both continue throughout the year.”