National Day Rally 2026 in summary: Supporting families, preserving culture & growing bigger

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong delivered the National Day Rally at the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College Central on Aug. 23.

Speaking in Malay, Mandarin and English, he acknowledged that the world around Singapore has and continues to change fast, with traditional rules and norms being overturned.

From the Covid-19 Pandemic to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the Middle East conflict, a change in the world's balance of power have been reflected in various examples over the years, he said.

In Singapore, this has resulted in rising costs of living and disruptions to households and businesses.

But the government will continue to support Singaporeans through these difficulties, PM Wong affirmed.

"A burden shared is a burden halved. We will overcome challenges together!" he said in his Malay speech.

Here's how the government plans to help:

Marriage and parenthood

A key highlight of this year's National Day Rally was more support for Singaporeans in raising families.

The changes were born out of the work done so far by the government's Interagency Marriage and Parenthood Reset Workgroup, chaired by Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah.

The group had previously found that childcare costs and time with family were among the main challenges faced by Singaporean couples, Indranee announced on Aug. 15.

Some measures to tackle these issues are as follows:

SG Child Support package

For one, the current Baby Bonus Scheme and Large Families Scheme will be replaced by a new SG Child Support Package, which will provide up to S$62,000 to every Singapore Citizen child over their growing years until age 17.

Each eligible child will receive the same level of support, regardless of birth order.

This S$62,000 will come in the form of cash, credits, grants, and top-ups.

Here's what each child will receive under the new support package:

• A S$10,000 Baby Gift will be given to each child before they turn one, disbursed in two tranches within 12 months of their birth. [Revised from Baby Bonus Cash Gift]
• A total of S$32,000 Child Credits will be given per child from age one to 16. S$2,000 in cash will be disbursed per year. [New]
• S$5,000 Child Development Account (CDA) First Step Grant, with up to S$5,000 in government co-matching until the end of the child's 16th year. [Revised]
• S$10,000 Post-Secondary Education Account top-up when the child turns 17. [New]

After including prevailing MediSave grants and Edusave top-ups, each Singaporean Citizen child will receive almost S$70,000 in support.

Changes to support for large families with three or more

The current Large Families Support scheme, which provides an additional S$16,000 of support to families with three or more kids through CDA grants, a S$5,000 MediSave grant and annual LifeSG credits, will be discontinued.

Large families with three or more children can continue to receive the S$5,000 MediSave grant.

Additionally, they will receive support for transport and housing. More information will be provided by the Ministry of Transport and Ministry of National Development at a later date.

The new package will be rolled out on Apr. 1, 2027.

Those born before Apr. 1, 2027, who are still receiving the Baby Bonus Cash Gift will continue to do so until Mar. 31, 2027.

Thereafter, they will receive a top-up by Apr. 30, 2027, to bring the amount of support received to S$10,000, matching the new S$10,000 Baby Gift amount.

As for the Child Credits, children turning one to 16 in 2026 will receive their 2026 Child Credits by Apr. 30, 2027.

Housing support

Further, from the February 2027 sales exercise, first-timer families with or expecting children will receive one additional ballot chance for each Singapore citizen child aged 18 and below.

This will apply to BTO or sale-of-balance flat applications.

There will also be an increase in the income ceiling for the purchase of new subsidised HDB flats, resale HDB flats on the open market the CPF Housing Grants, and when obtaining HDB housing loans for the purchase of new or resale HDB flats.

This number will increase from S$14,000 to S$16,000 for eligible families who apply for an HFE letter from Aug. 24.

Increased childcare leave provisions per working parent

Childcare leave provisions will also go up under the new measures, with the number of leaves tiered based on the number of children parents have instead of the age of their youngest child.

Here's the number of leaves each eligible working parent will receive based on the number of children they have aged 12 and below, under the new scheme:

• One child aged 12 and below: 8 days per working parent
• Two children aged 12 and below: 10 days per working parent
• Three or more children aged 12 and below: 12 days per working parent

Under the current childcare leave and extended childcare leave schemes, each working parent receives either six or two days of childcare leave, depending on the age of their youngest child.

The government will also cover the cost for all child-related leaves, including the government-paid maternity leave scheme, moving forward.

Currently, the government only covers part of such leave schemes.

More details on when the new childcare leave provisions will kick in will be announced at a later date.

Lower fees for government-supported pre-schools

Full-day childcare and infant care fees will be progressively reduced from 2028 to S$150 and S$300, respectively, by 2030.

According to a press release from the Prime Minister's Office, these fees will be "less than half" of today's fees.

Preschool subsidies will also be extended to families with Singapore citizen children regardless of the main applicant's working status.

Preserving culture

PM Wong also announced that the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) will be easing restrictions for the use of Chinese dialects in pay television and movies.

From September 2026, films with full or majority dialect content will be allowed for screening in cinemas, with no limits to the number of screenings.

This will be allowed so as long as Mandarin subtitles are shown, and a Mandarin-dubbed version of the same film is made available.

At the same time, existing restrictions for dialect content on subscription television services will be removed.

Such restrictions include allowing only one dialect art-house movie per week, and restrictions on a percentage of dialect songs on a music channel.

Mandarin will continue to be the mainstay language for free-to-air Chinese TV and radio.

Social media restrictions

The Singapore Government will also consider additional restrictions on social media platforms if existing safeguards remain inadequate, PM Wong said.

Children and teenagers are particularly vulnerable as their brains are still developing, he said.

They are also more susceptible to social pressures and can be more easily hooked by features designed to keep users constantly engaged.

Currently, users generally have to be at least 13 years old to create an account on a social media platform.

However, PM Wong noted that enforcement is largely left to the platforms, which mostly rely on users to declare their own ages.

Growing bigger

The government is looking at merging several of the islands south of Jurong Island, including Semakau, Bukom, Sudong and “a few other smaller islands” into one mega Western Island.

PM Wong reflected on the history of land reclamation along Singapore’s outer islands, citing Jurong Island as an example.

“Today, Jurong Island is a global energy and chemicals hub. That investment has delivered lasting benefits for Singapore,” he explained.

The new merged island will support a “new generation of industries” and can accommodate “new power generation infrastructure”, he said.

Space will be made for the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), which currently has an airstrip on Pulau Sudong.

He also reiterated plans to combine Sentosa and neighbouring Pulau Brani into “one integrated destination” as well as plans for Long Island along the East Coast.

PM Wong also announced that the government is studying the feasibility of building undersea tunnels to connect Tekong and the mainland in Singapore.

While the other outer islands, like Sentosa and the upcoming Long Island, may already enjoy seamless connection to the mainland, Tekong is “different”, he said.

PM Wong went on to note the past and present modes of transport for SAF recruits to Tekong, with recruits travelling with Ramp Powered Launches (RPLs) in the past and ferries currently.

“It will be a major undertaking. But if we can do it, it will bring our outer islands much closer to the rest of Singapore,” PM Wong commented.

“And one day, our recruits may have an even easier journey to Tekong”, he quipped.