Did anyone see this on the news this morning? With the baby bonus being reduced for subsequent births, there are fears that Mums will push for caesareans or inductions so they can get the full amount before the new rules come in to place.

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/nat...-1226504552138

Unbelievable - seriously, just HOW important is that extra couple of grand that someone might want to be induced or have a caesar?

I wonder how doctors will deal with any requests to induce babies early so that the parents can get the full bonus?

I honestly believe that article seriously underestimates the professions ethical behaviours... There is NO WAY any reputable obstetircian would ever consider doing such a thing.....

Scheduling a day or two early because they have an important golf match may well be considered..... But for financial gain... Just wont happen

Just ridiculous..... It's a BONUS.........nice if you get it, never mind if you don't. We were one of the few that didn't plough into a building contract just to secure our 1st home buyers extra grant.........missed out on a lot of money but with such a big investment we wanted to get it right.........

Even more important with your own body and child?!

FFS I just read the article and didn't realise it's just being reduced from $5000 to $3000. I thought it was just $1500! How greedy are some people?

Rant over. As you were.............

Publicity is all. News isn't always real life

Just how many times can lazy journalists rehash a variant of the same story over and over again whenever the bonus is changed. Not like Murdoch media to sensationalise.

True my friend has asked to be induced at 5 months to get the baby bonus and shes still waiting for a current affair to ring

Bet there will be some women out there that would happily be induced to get their hands on that extra 2 grand.

And yet some of us had kids and didn't get paid for it. What were WE thinking?

I must say it seems odd to be paid for having babies.

It's instead of maternity pay/parental leave for those who can't get that. If you think baby bonus is odd due to "being paid" for having a baby, then it must mean you think maternity pay is equally as odd?

No I dont think it is equally as odd. I thought maternity leave was paid out by the employer if you became pregnant during your employment. So if the government are paying it as a form of maternity leave then fair enough.

But the very fact there are fears that women may want to be induced for the sake of a couple of grand is unbelievable and as Eddie said, one would hope that doctors would refuse to do it.

That line always comes up with reports of changes in maternity-related payments. When baby bonus began it was reported women would try to delay the birth. Also when the payment rate was about to be increased, this was reported again. Now with baby bonus being reduced, it's the same line but the other way around.

I think you're reading too much into a tabloid headline - seriously, Herald Sun is on a par with the Daily Mail in the UK!

Baby Bonus payments are useful for those who are not eligible for the parental leave scheme, and although the full amount is $5,000 it is not a lump sum payment (hasn't been for 2-3 years now), it's broken down into fortnightly payments much like maternity pay. And yes, parental leave is government funded.

The baby bonus was introduced by Peter Costello to try to increase the birthrate. As he said," 1 for Mum, 1 for Dad and 1 for the country!

When the bonus was reduced one of the morning news shows ( at the gym I can turn it off ) was saying reducing it was the same as China's one baby policy. I mean FFS, but they were serious

Having a kid costs you hundreds of thousands over the 18+ years.

IMO it did encourage people to have kids, but thats pretty brainless, as I said hundreds of thousands.....

As for the reduction, when you have 2nd or 3rd kid you do have some stuff, not as expensive as the first, so they need to suck it up.

I dont believe in inducing a birth unless its for medical reasons. Personal experience, my third son had breathing problems, induced cause I was sick of being pregnant. He was at term but nature wanted more time and it was for a reason.

populate or perish