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Second-time ACT parents are concerned that cuts to the federal government's baby bonus do not take into account the costs of raising a bigger family. Yesterday, the government announced cuts to the baby bonus in the order of $2000 for parents having a second and subsequent child. Eligible first-time parents will still receive the $5000 payment to help with the cost of a newborn baby but parents whose babies are born on or after July 1 next year will be entitled to only $3000. Families Minister Jenny Macklin said the change recognised that families bought big-ticket nursery items when their first child was born, and tended to reuse them for their younger children. Kambah father-of-one Rob Brittle said he and his wife, Anna, were expecting their second child, but they still needed to buy those bigger items because they would require double the gear. Mr Brittle said that while they had used the baby bonus they received for two-year-old Toby on necessities, including a car seat and baby monitor, those costlier items were not always reusable. ''I wouldn't feel comfortable reusing someone else's baby seat for safety reasons, for instance, and we're going to need two of them.'' Tia Giacomin is expecting her second child, a girl. She said the government failed to realise that families needed to buy more as their broods grew. ''My 20-month-old son is still in a cot, so we still need to buy another bed,'' Mrs Giacomin said. ''The other thing is that a lot of the stuff we have is gender specific, so we won't be able to reuse my son's old clothes for my daughter. ''As for families with three kids, they may even need to consider buying another vehicle because most cars won't fit three baby seats.'' Mr Brittle said the cuts also meant his family would not have as much money to spend on day-to-day expenses, such as nappies and dummies. ''It makes a difference for those non-dispensable items. We spent a lot of money on nappies,'' he said. ''Parents will be able to make this work, but you'd think they could make the cuts elsewhere.'' The baby bonus cut was announced yesterday alongside a planned reduction in private health insurance rebates and changes to company tax, in an attempt by the government to meet its targeted and forecast budget surplus of $1.1 billion this year.

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