# NDR 2026: 7 key takeaways - from family support and housing to Singapore’s future land plans

- **Source:** Channel NewsAsia
- **Published:** 2026-08-23T13:30:00.000Z
- **Author:** Abigail Ng, Davina Tham
- **Original:** https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/national-day-rally-2026-key-takeaways-childcare-leave-support-hdb-bto-income-ceiling-6335906
- **Topics:** Government & Policy

## Featured rationale

The changes expand subsidised housing access for higher-earning and growing families, potentially increasing BTO demand while helping more households secure appropriately sized homes sooner.

## AI summary

The family BTO income ceiling will rise from S$14,000 to S$16,000, while eligible first-timer families will receive an additional ballot chance per Singaporean child from February 2027.

## Original article

SINGAPORE: From more support for families to a possible undersea tunnel to Pulau Tekong, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong made several announcements in this year’s National Day Rally . He unveiled a slew of measures to help those looking to start families as well as couples with children. “No other institution can replace the family. That is why nothing matters more than helping families thrive,” he said. Here are seven key takeaways from his speeches. 1. Almost S$70,000 in support for each child Every Singaporean child will receive almost S$70,000 (US$55,140) in support from birth to the age of 17. A new SG Child Support Package kicks in on Apr 1, 2027, replacing the financial support currently provided through the Baby Bonus Scheme and Large Families Scheme. Children will get the same level of support regardless of their birth order, and kids in single-parent families will also enjoy the full benefits of the scheme. In the baby’s first year, there will be a S$10,000 cash gift and S$5,000 MediSave Grant for Newborns. Newborns also get a S$5,000 First Step Grant in the Child Development Account (CDA). From the age of one to 16, the government will co-match up to S$5,000 in CDA top-ups. The child will also get S$2,000 in Child Credits annually. Students receive Edusave contributions throughout primary and secondary school. When the child turns 17, a S$10,000 top-up will be made to the Post-Secondary Education Account. Large families with three or more children will get additional help in areas where they are likely to face higher costs, such as healthcare, transport and housing.

2. More childcare leave A new childcare leave scheme will give more time off to working parents with children aged 12 and below. Each parent will get eight days off if they have one child, 10 days if they have two children, and 12 days if they have three or more children. This is up from the current six days off a year if the parent has a child aged six and below, or two days a year if the child is between seven and 12 years old. The government will also reimburse employers for the costs of the full duration of statutory child-related leave, up to a limit of S$2,500 a week. Mr Wong urged employers to give parents more support and make sure that having children never becomes a disadvantage in someone’s career. The start date for these changes will be announced later.

3. Significantly lower childcare, infant care fees Monthly fees will drop to S$150 for full-day childcare and S$300 for full-day infant care at government-supported preschools. Currently, after basic subsidies, full-day childcare costs S$365 to S$559 a month, while full-day infant care costs S$746 to S$1,256 a month. The lower fees will kick in progressively from 2028 and reach the target levels by 2030. More preschools will join the network of government-supported centres so that more families can benefit from these lower fees. Student care centres in primary schools and the community will also get more support for larger capacities, higher quality of care and lower fees. “Every child in Singapore, regardless of their family’s circumstances, deserves a good start in life,” said Mr Wong.

4. Higher income ceiling for BTO flats Income ceilings will be raised for those who wish to buy a new Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat, get an HDB loan or obtain a Central Provident Fund Housing Grant for a resale flat. For Build-to-Order (BTO) flats, the ceiling for families will rise from S$14,000 to S$16,000. The ceiling for executive condominiums will go up from S$16,000 to S$18,000. Correspondingly, the income ceiling for eligible single HDB home buyers aged 35 and above will also be raised to S$8,000. This will kick in for those applying for an HDB Flat Eligibility letter from Aug 24. From February 2027, there will also be an additional ballot chance per Singaporean child. This is for first-timer families who have or are expecting children. "The more children you have, the more ballot chances you will receive – because we want to help these growing families secure a home sooner," said Mr Wong.

5. Islands to merge for industrial and power needs Semakau, Bukom and Pulau Sudong could be merged with other smaller islands into one larger island over the coming decades. This is similar to how Singapore merged several islands to create Jurong Island. The new island will house a new generation of industries, including advanced manufacturing and power infrastructure. Currently, Singapore's only landfill is located on Semakau, while the country’s first refinery sits in Bukom. Pulau Sudong has an airstrip that the Singapore Armed Forces uses during emergencies.

6. Possible undersea tunnel from mainland to Tekong Singapore is studying the feasibility of building an undersea tunnel from the mainland to Pulau Tekong instead of bridges that would cut across busy shipping channels. The island, which is used to train military recruits, has no land connection to the mainland. An undersea tunnel would be a major engineering undertaking, said Mr Wong, adding that it could bring Singapore’s outer islands much closer to the mainland. More land may be reclaimed to create additional military training space, and around 500ha would be available for future civilian use, he said.

7. Fewer curbs on dialect content Following recent discussions on the use of dialects sparked by Teochew film Dear You, the government will remove the cap on the number of dialect film screenings. Mr Wong said free-to-air broadcasts will continue to mostly use Mandarin, but there will be no limit on the number of screenings for dialect movies in cinemas as long as a Mandarin-dubbed version is available. The Ministry of Digital Development and Information also said restrictions on dialect content for subscription TV services will be removed. The updated guidelines take effect in September.

## Chinese translation

> Translation model: openai_codex_cli

### 2026年国庆群众大会：7个重点要点——从家庭支持和住房，到新加坡未来土地规划

总理黄循财在2026年国庆群众大会演讲中表示，没有什么比帮助家庭兴旺更重要。

新加坡：从为家庭提供更多支持，到可能兴建通往德光岛的海底隧道，总理黄循财在今年的国庆群众大会上宣布了多项措施。他公布了一系列措施，帮助有意组建家庭的人士以及有孩子的夫妻。“没有任何制度可以取代家庭。这就是为什么没有什么比帮助家庭兴旺更重要，”他说。以下是他演讲中的七个重点要点。

1. 每名孩子将获得近新币70,000元支持 每名新加坡籍孩子从出生到17岁，将获得近新币70,000元（55,140美元）的支持。新的“新加坡儿童支持配套”将于2027年4月1日生效，取代目前通过婴儿花红计划和大家庭计划提供的财务支持。无论出生顺序如何，孩子都将获得同等水平的支持，单亲家庭的孩子也将享有该计划的全部福利。在婴儿出生的第一年，将有新币10,000元现金礼金和新币5,000元新生儿保健储蓄补助。新生儿还将在儿童培育户头（CDA）获得新币5,000元“第一步”补助。从一岁到16岁，政府将按一比一配对儿童培育户头充值，最高新币5,000元。孩子每年还将获得新币2,000元儿童积分。学生在小学和中学阶段都会获得教育储蓄户头拨款。当孩子满17岁时，政府将向高等教育储蓄户头充值新币10,000元。有三个或更多孩子的大家庭，将在他们可能面对较高成本的领域获得额外帮助，例如医疗、交通和住房。

2. 更多育儿假 新的育儿假计划将让有12岁及以下孩子的在职父母获得更多休假时间。每名父母若有一个孩子，可休八天；有两个孩子，可休10天；有三个或更多孩子，可休12天。这高于目前若父母有六岁及以下孩子，每年可休六天；若孩子介于七岁至12岁之间，每年可休两天的安排。政府也将为雇主报销法定儿童相关假期全期的成本，每周上限为新币2,500元。黄循财促请雇主给予父母更多支持，并确保生儿育女永远不会成为一个人事业上的劣势。这些变动的生效日期将稍后公布。

3. 幼儿托管、婴儿托管费用大幅降低 在政府支持的学前教育中心，全日制幼儿托管月费将降至新币150元，全日制婴儿托管月费将降至新币300元。目前，在基本津贴后，全日制幼儿托管每月费用为新币365元至新币559元，而全日制婴儿托管每月费用为新币746元至新币1,256元。较低收费将从2028年起逐步实施，并在2030年前达到目标水平。更多学前教育中心将加入政府支持中心网络，让更多家庭受惠于这些较低收费。小学和社区内的学生托管中心也将获得更多支持，以扩大容量、提高照护质量并降低收费。“新加坡的每一个孩子，无论家庭情况如何，都值得在人生中有一个良好开端，”黄循财说。

4. 预购组屋收入顶限提高 有意购买新的建屋发展局（HDB）组屋、取得HDB贷款，或为转售组屋获得中央公积金购屋津贴的人士，收入顶限将被调高。对于预购组屋（BTO），家庭收入顶限将从新币14,000元提高到新币16,000元。执行共管公寓的收入顶限将从新币16,000元提高到新币18,000元。相应地，年满35岁及以上、符合条件的单身HDB购屋者收入顶限也将提高到新币8,000元。这将适用于从8月24日起申请HDB购屋资格信的人士。从2027年2月起，每名新加坡籍孩子也将带来一次额外抽签机会。这适用于有孩子或正在期待孩子的首次购屋家庭。“你有越多孩子，就会获得越多抽签机会——因为我们希望帮助这些正在成长的家庭更早安家，”黄循财说。

5. 岛屿将为工业和电力需求合并 未来几十年，实马高、毛广岛和苏东岛可能与其他较小岛屿合并成一个更大的岛屿。这类似于新加坡当年合并数个岛屿打造裕廊岛。新岛屿将容纳新一代产业，包括先进制造业和电力基础设施。目前，新加坡唯一的垃圾填埋场位于实马高，而我国第一座炼油厂坐落在毛广岛。苏东岛有一条跑道，新加坡武装部队在紧急情况下会使用。

6. 可能兴建从本岛通往德光岛的海底隧道 新加坡正在研究兴建从本岛通往德光岛的海底隧道的可行性，而不是建造会横跨繁忙航道的桥梁。德光岛用于训练军事新兵，目前没有陆路与本岛相连。黄循财说，海底隧道将是一项重大的工程项目，并补充说，它可让新加坡外岛与本岛的距离大大拉近。他说，可能会填海造地以创造更多军事训练空间，并将有约500公顷土地可供未来民用。

7. 对方言内容的限制减少 在潮州电影《亲爱的你》引发近期关于方言使用的讨论后，政府将取消方言电影放映场次数量上限。黄循财说，免费电视频道将继续主要使用华语，但只要提供华语配音版本，电影院放映方言电影的场次将不设上限。数码发展及新闻部也表示，将取消订阅电视服务方言内容的限制。更新后的准则将于9月生效。