The proposal would increase the Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) Allowance, with 6 options as described below:
Option 1: Increase the annual rate for Distance Education Allowance by $750 per child
Option 2: Increase the annual rate for Basic Boarding Allowance by $1,000 per child
Option 3: Increase the annual rate for Additional Boarding Allowance by $1,000 per child
Option 4: Increase the annual rate for Second Home Allowance by $2,000 per child
Option 5: Extend the annual rate for Distance Education Allowance to children aged between 3 and 4 years old
Option 6: Include a Distance Education Teaching Allowance of $6,000 per family per year to provide financial assistance toward the cost of providing a distance education tutor in the home classroom.
For each of the above 6 options, the relevant allowance would be indexed by either:
a) the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or
b) the CPI Education subgroup Index (CPI Education).
The proposal would be ongoing and would have effect from 1 January 2024.