<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The federal government is facing renewed calls to bring back the baby bonus to address </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/australia-birth-rate-2023-record-low/a01ff3e1-9382-4bfb-843a-c7cdbc018b1f" rel="" target="" title="tumbling fertility rates across the country."><span>tumbling fertility rates across the country.</span></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Former Prime Minister John Howard has urged Treasurer Jim Chalmers to re-introduce the scheme in Australia, which gave new parents an initial lump sum payment of $3000 per child born, rising to $5000 over time.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The baby bonus policy was delivered in 2004 by then-treasurer Peter Costello following Australia's lowest-ever birth rate.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/nsw-weather-woman-missing-floodwaters-hunter-region-heavy-rain-black-ice-forecast-for-state/2e649802-20a4-4054-81eb-07162bab437a" target="_blank" title="Desperate search for woman swept away in floodwaters"><strong><span>Desperate search for woman swept away in floodwaters</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>At the time, Costello urged parents to "have one for mum, have one for dad and have one for the country".</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The scheme did influence the country's birth rate and resulted in an average of 2.0 babies born per mother by 2008 and a record 301,617 babies born by 2011, a bigger influx of newborns than the post World War II baby boomer generation.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Later governments should never have watered down these policies," Howard said.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/baby-bonus-fresh-calls-for-treasurer-jim-chalmers-to-encourage-parents-to-have-more-kids-australia-tumbling-fertility-rates/88dce88f-534c-4f7b-8c9d-5a889f8adc3c" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Their restoration or that of equivalent policies will help address the quite disturbing and depressed level in the ­current fertility rate."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The Coalition has joined Howard in the call for a new baby bonus scheme.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>However Nationals leader David Littleproud said $3000 won't be enough to support families who can't afford to feed another mouth.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I don't think a baby bonus is going to spur anybody on who just simply cannot financially afford to have a baby," Littleproud told </span><em><span>Today</span></em><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/pro-palestine-protest-to-shut-down-sydney-harbour-bridge-today-strong-police-presence-across-sydney-melbourne/c8b94bbf-e177-4b15-a9cd-cd6dd06a42c4" rel="" target="_blank" title="Commuters brace for travel chaos as pro-Palestine rally shuts down bridge"><strong><span>Commuters brace for travel chaos as pro-Palestine rally shuts down bridge</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It is vastly different. I remember my sister getting the baby bonus many, many years ago now, and if you're looking at property prices, inflation, what we were earning versus where we're at now...</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I've got friends who would love to have another child, but when they do the numbers, they know that they actually can't afford to have another child. And a baby bonus isn't going to change that for them."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Australia's birth rate plummeted in 2023 to levels not seen in 17 years.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The nation's fertility rate for 2023 hit a record low of 286,998 births – down 4.6 per cent or around 14,000 births from the last year.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>:</span></em></strong><span> </span><em><strong><span>Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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