More than 130,000 single parents stand to lose family benefits under the Turnbull government's family payments plan.
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Department of Social Services officials have told a Senate committee in Canberra that 136,000 single parents will see a reduction in family tax benefit part B once their youngest child turns 13, if the government gets the green light from the Senate for its new package.
Under the plan announced on Wednesday, single parents of teenagers would have their payments reduced from more than $3000 a year to $1000. Grandparent carers would also have their payments cut when their grandchild reaches 13.
The Senate estimates session heard 3900 grandparents would be affected by the measure. A further 76,000 couple families would also have their family tax benefit B cut completely when their youngest child turned 13.
The detail comes as Labor targeted Social Services Minister Christian Porter in question time, asking him five questions in a row about details of the new package.
Labor's spokeswoman for families and payments, Jenny Macklin, also pressed Mr Porter about an interview he gave on Wednesday in which he argued that grandparents caring for 15-year-olds might not be worse off because of improved access to childcare.
"Is the minister seriously suggesting that a grandparent carer should go back to work and put a 15-year-old child in childcare?"
Mr Porter explained he had misunderstood the question and argued that grandparents should be entering the workforce if they were able.
"As out population ages, the workplace will be more and more full of grandparents," he said.
"One of the assumptions that we have made in devising this package is that human beings aren't passive."
Mr Porter said that the government was "unequivocally" trying to "increase work force participation" with its family tax benefit B changes for parents and grandparents of children over 13.
The Senate estimates detail comes after a frustrating morning for Labor and Greens senators at the hearing, who were questioning Social Services officials about how family tax benefit changes would affect families.
Officials were not able to answer questions from Greens senator Rachel Siewert about what would happen to specific family groups
"We haven't done extensive modelling on a cohort-by-cohort basis," one official said.
Department of Social Services head Finn Pratt said the department had analysed how families would fare under both the family payments package and proposed new childcare changes. "This is a combined package," he said.
Senator Siewert noted that some families - particularly those with children over 13 - would not be accessing childcare.
"The department was painfully opaque about my requests to get analysis of the measure that separates the family tax benefit part B cuts from the childcare package," she said.
Officials also could not immediately answer questions from Labor senator Claire Moore about the budget impact of specific measures announced on Wednesday, including the cost of increasing family tax benefit part B to families with a child under one and the cost of cutting.
"Those questions to me do not seem that difficult," Senator Moore said.
Treasurer Scott Morrison and Social Services Minister Christian Porter confirmed details of the new package on Wednesday, which replaces a suite of unpopular 2014 budget measures that were blocked by the Senate.
The package is expected to save $4.8 billion over four years.
The Coalition either needs Labor to approve the new plan or six of the eight Senate crossbenchers to back it. Labor has said it wants to see more detail of the changes and the majority of the Senate crossbench remain unconvinced.
