A loophole that allows women who have an abortion after 20 weeks to claim the baby bonus needs to be corrected immediately, Senator Cory Bernardi said today.
Senator Bernardi discovered the loophole in A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999 (the Act) while researching a disallowance motion.
“Allowing women who have an abortion to claim the baby bonus is abhorrent,” said Senator Bernardi.
“The baby bonus was designed to welcome a new child into a family and to assist with the financial costs of raising a child, not as a payment to those who choose to have an abortion.
“I have seen a report of one instance where this has occurred, but I have been advised that there are no effective means of establishing how many women have claimed the baby bonus after having an abortion.
“A spokeswoman for Minister Macklin is quoted as saying that the baby bonus is not available for aborted pregnancies. I am not sure what legislation she is looking at, but definitions in the Act make it possible for a person to claim the baby bonus if the aborted pregnancy meets certain criteria.
“Minister Macklin can’t sweep this under the table and pretend it doesn’t occur. This is not about blame or bad publicity – it’s about fixing a wrong.
“Knowing that the system could be abused in such a manner is sickening and the loophole must be closed immediately.
“This is not a debate about abortion. This is about finding a solution to an unintentional loophole within the system. I cannot imagine anyone being able to argue that we allow this to continue.
“The baby bonus was designed to encourage life. This loophole is an unintentional outcome, which defies the original objective and intention of the bonus.
“I intend to obtain urgent advice as to the appropriate course of action to ensure this situation is rectified as soon as possible.”
