DPB mothers won’t name dads

Dr Muriel Newman
Monday, 18 July 2005
Press Releases - Social Welfare

A solo mum with nine children who is receiving the Domestic Purposes Benefit has refused to name all of their fathers, ACT Deputy Leader Dr Muriel Newman revealed today.

“Answers to parliamentary questions that I have just received from Associate Social Development and Employment Minister Rick Barker, show that one woman on the DPB with nine children has nine section 70a deductions for refusing to name the father or fathers of each of her nine children.

“This issue is yet another demonstration of the blatant abuse of the welfare system that is occurring under this Labour Government.

“This woman with nine children is ripping off the taxpayer big time. The father or fathers of the children are also ripping off the taxpayer and Labour, by being soft on welfare, is abusing taxpayers as well.

“The answer also shows that there is another woman with seven children and seven deductions and three women who each have six children whose father they refuse to name.

“Altogether, there are 139 women with six or more children who have refused to name one or more of the liable fathers.

“This issue of women on the DPB refusing to name the fathers of their children is becoming endemic, with almost one in six women on the DPB refusing to name the fathers by the time Labour eventually decided to do something about it. The problem is that their solution is not to require fathers to be named as a condition of receiving the DPB, instead they have camouflaged the numbers.

“The problem is that this has created even more of an incentive for parents to collude, so that fathers can escape their financial obligations and mothers can receive their full benefits.

“It is unacceptable in this day and age of DNA testing that women can get away with claiming that they cannot name the father of their children. Every child deserves to know who their dad is and every father should be encouraged to be an active participant in their children’s lives. Demanding that fathers are named on the birth certificate is an essential first step,” Dr Newman said.

ENDS

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