Federal Member for Cunningham Sharon Bird and Federal Member for Throsby Stephen Jones said the release of todays Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) is smoke screen for broken promises by the Abbott Government which will negatively impact local low and middle income earners.

Before the election Tony Abbott promised Australians that there would be no cuts to education or research if he became Prime Minister, said Ms Bird.

Today Treasurer Joe Hockey announced that all areas of expenditure will now be assessed for cuts.

This includes the axing of Labors Schoolkids Bonus, which gave 16,695 local families up to $15,000 extra over the term of their kids education, and the Low Income Super Contribution scheme, helping more than 45,000 locals increase their super savings by up to $500 a year.

The Government is hurting middle Australia across the board with todays cuts, but its education and research that are taking the big hits, said Jones.

Other projects targeted by the Coalitions cuts include Labors $400 million Trade Training Centre scheme, which had funded eight centres in high schools across the region to help students get a head start on a trade without having to leave mainstream education.

Wollongong University could also be impacted by $187.5 million in cuts to the Education Investment Fund and $113 million to the Australian Research Council.

Now, more than ever, we need to give our kids every opportunity to secure a high skill, high wage job of the future, said Jones.

These cuts are just the latest in a string of backflips and let downs in the education and research sector, and its Australian students who are paying the price.

Joe Hockey has his priorities completely wrong hitting low income students and families, while giving tax cuts to mine owners and wealthy superannuants, said Ms Bird.