We need to get families HELPING one another more, not KICKING them out into the workforce and further disintegrating children's sense of a LOVING home, where someone is always there to hear them or where they can just play or 'hang out' in peace.

Will taking this away from the children and handing them over to 'professional child care workers', create peaceful, happy people? Or will it just predispose these single parent children to anger, and a lack of purpose to contribute to this country in the future and work themselves? Without family and friends to love with you, what is the purpose of contributing or working at all?

In other words, WHAT IS WORK FOR?

Is it not to labour and then enjoy the fruits of that labour? Doesn't Peter Costello know that 'All Work and No Play makes Jack a Dull Boy?'

If the Government really wants to do the smart thing and allow parents to get out there into the 'workforce', without the resulting neglect to children's emotional and physical needs, they should be encouraging the older generation of Australian family and relatives to get more involved, and give them money and incentives to want and be able to do so more effectively. The wealth of wisdom and information stored in these 'old' people, is just phenomenal and should be tapped to inspire and teach our young people to be even more creative and hard working.

Let's not discriminate against the children of poor people and take away the meaning of what a true, caring, close knit family is, just because their parents can no longer live together.

Australia isn't the greatest, most peaceful country in the world to live in by accident. It's BECAUSE we believe in the welfare system, that we are so blessed with all our wonderful, money generating creativity. (Eg musicians, movie stars, some of the best markets in the world).

So if older relatives were given more inspiration to help bring up Australia's children, then even more creativity and wealth would abound!

Regardless of what E. McInnes says in the article the one certain trend is that the institution of marriage is dying.

The only issue left is having a child and how the care of the children is to be protected from aggressive take-over acts by one parent for personal and financial gain the current active system results in which to current statistics the aggressor to break parent-child relationship is the mother in close to 90% in some studies.

You can only kick a dog that many times before it starts to react and then I suppose you can ignore your responsibility for why the situation is where it is and limit the context to what suits you and get a great big gang of supporters to back you still does not change the accountability for acts.

We are heading for a huge social upheaval resultant from the traumatized hearts of our children in the past and current which is no longer acceptable. This is the main point and primary context and so articles such as these that ignores the real human trauma are just another one that supports the current brutality and should be treated as such... not registering at all on my scale on importance.

Sam

Children are not cash cows, or employment opportunities; nor are they accessories. Men have always understood this. It is time more women did so.

Seeker, your comment reveals such a black hole of ignorance that it truly sucked words from my mind. I don't even know where to begin to respond to you, that there are men out there who truly think that. 'Accessories, cash cows?' Do you get out much?

I know this is a lousy post but then maybe it is an appropriate response to seeker's.

Think I'll just show seeker's post to my kids.

GOOD LUCK to the schools trying to control all the resulting unparented children!

GOOD LUCK to all us citizens having to protect our property and selves from them too!

People who rely on the old age pension (and all others who have parented children), have a duty of care to their children's children, if needed.

NOW is when they need your help Grandparents!

Now why doesn't the Government encourage Grandparents to get more involved with the day to day care of their Grandchildren? It would solve so many child care headaches, and other older people who would love to help with children who don't have Grandparents available to help due to distance or ill health for example, could apply to be carers and be given incentives and benefits for doing so.

How much more soul filling than going down to the local RSL and playing the pokies, or caravaning around Australia every month or so.

What do you think Kay Patterson, Kevin Andrews and Peter Costello? Sound feasible?

If Single Parents are going to be denied money to care for their children if they don't find work, then Old Aged Grandparents receiving the Old Age Pension should be responsible for the same amount of child care. 15 hours per week. Fair?