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Executive summary. As in many Western countries, the rise in cohabitation in Australia represents one of the most striking of the many changes to family life that have emerged since the 1970s. Not only is cohabitation now the normative pathway to marriage, but it is also increasingly used as a context for raising a family. While there is considerable evidence suggesting that cohabiting couples are more likely to separate than married couples, much of this research has not assessed whether this applies where children have been born of the cohabiting relationship. Some overseas studies have suggested that children with biological married parents have higher wellbeing than those whose biological parents are cohabiting. Nevertheless, a less favourable picture for those in cohabiting rather than married families has not been apparent across all wellbeing measures examined or in all studies. Based on the data of the first three waves of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, this paper focused on the wellbeing of young Australian children who were living with their cohabiting or married biological parents or with their sole mother over a four-year period (Wave 1 to Wave 3). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on factors and consequences related to attendance in primary school. Topics discussed include attendance rates in Australian schools, attendance policy in the country and non-attendance and academic achievement in primary school (NAPLAN). Issues associated with school absenteeism are also discussed.

The article discusses the patterns of employment of working mothers in Australia. It highlights the differences between mothers in terms of their family and personal background, occupations, hours of work, and age of children. It mentions mothers' employment transitions including the rate of taking part-time job and resignation and the shift from part-time to full-time job. It describes the impact of attitudes and preferences of mothers on their decision to work and balance their family life.

This publication presents tabular representations of income support customers in Australia in 2013 with data provided by the Department of Human Services, including student and labour market related payments, family assistance, and pensioners paid overseas.

The article explores the Carer Payment or Carer Allowance given by the Australian government to young people under 25 years old. The young carers featured in the authors' study were nine times more likely to be living in areas of high socioeconomic disadvantage and many of them were part of a network of caring provision. They found that most of those receiving Carer Payment or Carer Allowance did not have substantial levels of engagement with the workforce while they were receiving support.

The article focuses on the future of young people of Australia in education and career. It discusses the co-residence and financial transfers of parental supports and highlights the financial support given by parents to young people. It discusses the Youth in Focus (YIF) Survey data on income support of family of Australia to young persons. It concludes that the young people who live with their parents receive less financial support that those who live apart.

This publication presents the Australian Government's 2012 statistical overview which covers income support payments provided by the Department of Social Services (DSS). Topics discussed include the main sections of the statistical overview such as family assistance, pensioners paid overseas and payments related to the student and labour market. It also features several tables which include a summary of income support, age pension and disability support pension.

The article focuses on the provision of emergency relief in Australia which includes material and financial assistance to individuals experiencing financial crisis. It discusses the emergency relief services provided welfare agencies including Anglicare, the Salvation Army Southern Territory and Saint Vincent de Paul. It highlights the characteristics and needs of emergency relief clients and mentions that amount of assistance increases with the onset of global financial crisis (GFC).

This publication presents a study on the influence of work on parents' and children's wellbeing, using data from Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) and the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics (HILDA) survey. Main themes addressed in the report are cited including parents' work experiences. It was suggested that children's wellbeing could be optimised if parents had jobs which given them flexibility in work hours.

The article presents information on the Phase 1 evaluation of the Paid Parental Leave (PPL) scheme of the Australian government. It evaluates the context of PPL scheme for key target groups, the coverage of the scheme as to statutory entitlements, right to request and paid leaves as well as workforce participation. It also notes indicators for maternal and child health and wellbeing, gender equity and the impact analysis of the final evaluation phase.