Hon CARMEL SEPULONI (Minister for Social Development and Employment): Talofa lava, Mr Speaker. Budget 2022 removes the discriminatory policy which saw families on a sole parent rate of benefit not receive the child support paid by the other parent. Instead, the child support was claimed by Inland Revenue. From mid-2023 child support payments for sole parent beneficiaries will be passed on directly to them by Inland Revenue and treated as income for benefit purposes. This will align with what already occurs for other partnered beneficiaries raising tamariki. It is estimated that 41,550 sole parent families will be better off with a median gain of $24 per week. Removing this policy will lift an estimated 6,000 to 14,000 children out of poverty, using the BHC 50 measure. It is also anticipated it will encourage more parents to pay child support as they know it will go directly to their children.