Probably need a bit more information mate, like where are you located/where would you launch from, what style of fishing are you into, what sort of fish are you chasing, what is your budget, etc..

 Yeah as above but certainly it's worth getting a hold of a couple of cheap spin outfits. Try and get some of the run out Penn spammers as the are a tough reel and very cheap right now. The 360 and 460 sizes are probably the best sizes. You can get them from around 90 bucks with a spool of braid included.

 I am based in Perth and would probably launch from ocean reef. I have only done a bit of beach fishing and off the rocks at a few places. I haven't really given too much thought into what sort of fish I would be chasing at the moment would just like to get out there and catch something although I do like the idea of getting into some nice sized fish (probably a bit vague but as I say I'm new to this) My budget would be pretty flexible I don't want to go for the cheapest gear that's not going to last 2 long. I hope this info is more helpful. I will get better at this

The penn reels Bunny mentioned are cheap but they are tough too and will last forever if looked after a little.  Other than that any diawa or shimano reel will do the job.

As mentioned the typical bream fishing outfits (6ft rod, 2500 size reel & 8-10lb line) will be a great start. Simple for the kids to use on the likes of whiting, skippy, herring etc & handy for you if you want to get a feed of those or catch bait for bigger species. Spool up those outfits with mono as it is a bit more forgiving for the kids to use. Install a decent sounder to help you locate the kind of territory your target species is likely to inhabit & study what sort of territory your tagets are likely to be in. Make sure you have plenty of snacks & drinks for the kids when you go out & having a portable DVD player & a couple of movies for them to watch will allow you to keep fishing for a few hours after they are sick of fishing themselves. I'm not up to date on bigger boat fishing combos anymore so I'll leave that part to others that know better than I do.

 PM sent

 My kids love squiddiing !! And any cheap 1-3kg or 2-4kg combo would get them started.   

Kids love waiving fishing rods all over the place, and it kind of (sort of) helps with the "jigging" action required to catch them !!! A lot more than the gently gently approach of other bait type fishing!! 

And my two girls laugh there asses off when I get inked taking them of the jigs !!

whatever style of fishing you choose, the key is to keep them interested (not sure of the age of your kids but the younger ones don't mind even catching blowies)

oh !!! And make sure they always feel safe and comfortable out there !! If there first experiences are not good on the boat they'll be reluctant to go out a second or third time !!   

 you cant go wrong with fishing on the sandy bottom for some whitting. there are plenty around at the moment and they are fun to catch and great to eat. just use a simple paternostic rig with sinker at the bottom and two small hooks one about a foot from the sinker  and the other about two feet from the bottom hook. this works for me anyway. good luck and welcome to fish wrecked. this is a great site with plenty of pro advice. 

 Thanks for all the info picked up the boat today just a shame about the weather for the rest of the week, can't wait to get out there