Big Australian families are collecting as much as $4000 a fortnight to care for their children, an A Current Affair investigation has found.

A Current Affair reporter Tineka Everaardt met Karen, a mum of eight from Victoria, who receives about $1000 a fortnight to care for three of her children. But Karen’s mum, who lives nearby and cares for Karen’s five other children receives $3000.

But Karen still struggles to get by and had just $0.23c in her bank account and a near-empty fridge when she spoke to A Current Affair.

Big Australian families are raking in thousands of dollars a fortnight to care for their many children. (9news)

“Like, at first you’re alright, but then as more kids come along, it seems to, you seem to struggle a bit more so,” Karen said.

A hundred kilometres up the road, Everaardt meets Kelly. She started having children at the age of 15 and 18 years later, aged 33, she’s just hit number nine.

“I’m 33 so I could definitely deal with three or four more children,” Kelly said

Kelly said she never planned to be a mum, but now she is, she would like an even number of children.

“I’ve always wanted to have 10, an even number,” she said.

The mums told A Current Affair it isn't easy raising lots of kids on government payments. (9news)

A Current Affair discovered some mums cannot live with their partner otherwise their government payments will be cut. (9news)

She told A Current Affair that Australian taxpayers and the Government need to get behind single mums and support them.

“Give us young Australians a fair go. We’re raising the next generation of kids and, you know, we need to be able to get them doing stuff in the community I guess. We need money to do that,” she said.

She said Australia’s welfare regime had even stopped her living with her partner ‘Damo’ as she wouldn’t be able to claim a single parent pension.

“It’s not fair that I can’t live with my partner, because otherwise my single parent payment will be cut from Centrelink,” she said.

A Current Affair also spoke to Lisa, a mum who has most of her 11 children’s names tattooed on her forearms. She showed the A Current Affair crew which ones Centrelink still pays her for and which ones have left home.

Lisa has most of her 11 children's names tattooed on her arms. (9news)

Six of her children still live in a small caravan and annex with her.

Lisa has had children to several fathers and admits she can’t stop falling pregnant. She had recently had another baby to her latest boyfriend.

“I was on all different contraceptives and nothing worked,” she told A Current Affair.

“I tried getting my tubes tied, they told me I was too young to have my tubes tied after five children.

“They told me I could go on a waiting list, I said I was already on a waiting list and look what happened, I fell pregnant.”

They are arguing they need the money to give their kids a fair go and help raise them right. (9news)

Council of Single Mothers and Their Children chief executive Jenny Davidson told A Current Affair Australia’s single mothers have one of the country’s most important jobs of bringing up the next generation of Australians.

“It’s not easy to raise a family on Government benefits,” Ms Davidson said.