Labor will oppose the bulk of the Coalition's planned changes to family payments, in a move that will leave the government dependent on the crossbench if it is to pass its full package.
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Opposition Leader Bill Shorten announced on Tuesday morning that Labor would oppose the government's plan to cut end of year supplements for family payment recipients, which would save more than $4 billion over four years.
Labor will also oppose plans to reduce family tax payment part B to $1000 a year for single parents and pay the same amount to grandparent carers when a child reaches 13 years and cut the payment entirely when they reach 16.
It will also block a bid to boost payments to single income families with a child under one by $1,000 a year.
Labor, however, will support the Coalition's bid to stop family tax benefit part B for couple families when their youngest child reaches 13. Currently parents can claim it until a child reaches 16 or 18 - depending on whether they are still at school.
The opposition is also refusing to back an increase in family tax benefit part B by $10 a week - which the government is proposing to compensate for the cut in supplements - and would cost $584 million.
All up, Labor's planned changes would save about $1.4 billion over four years. Prime Minister Turnbull has said the government's changes would save $4.8 billion over the same period, providing funds for the $3.5 billion planned changes to childcare.
Mr Shorten said that Labor did not "support unfair cuts to grandparent carers and single parents".
He said the party's approach to family payments was "fair and fiscally responsible".
Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen said the Turnbull government is "as addicted to unfairness as the Abbott government was".
The Coalition introduced the changed package to Parliament late last month, after the original reforms to family payments - announced in the May 2014 budget - were blocked by the Senate.
Crossbench support for the package is not assured, with many of the independent and minor party senators expressing concerns about the impact on families.
Independent Jacqui Lambie has already declared her opposition, with Family First's Bob Day and the Motoring Enthusiast Party's Ricky Muir still to make up their minds.
On Tuesday, Nick Xenophon told Sky News he shared Labor's concerns about the impact on sole parent families - but added that the government's childcare package was too generous in some parts.
So far, only Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm has declared his support.
The Coalition would need six of the eight Senate crossbenchers to pass the package in full.
About 1.7 million Australian families receive family tax benefits.
Family tax benefit part A is paid per child, with the amount based on a family's income and the age of the child. Family tax benefit part B is paid per family and provides extra assistance to single parents and families with one income.
