This bill will achieve the removal of the subsequent child policy, which was recommended for removal alongside other obligations and sanctions in the welfare system. The removal of the subsequent child policy through this bill builds on the Government's work to make the welfare system fairer. By 1 April 2022, 109,000 families and whānau with children will also be, on average, $175 a week better off as a result of all the Government's changes to income support since 2017. Homai te pakipaki. This includes the benefit increases through Budget 2021, the Families Package, the $25 lift to benefit rates as part of the initial COVID-19 response, and the indexation of main benefits to average wage increases in the last two years.