Kerry Rea (Bonner, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to address the debate that is currently occurring around the very important issue of paid parental leave. I do so because under ordinary circumstances, as someone who has been a working mother since I was in my early 20s and as someone who has been all my life a champion and campaigner for the rights of women and the rights of working people, to have the privilege to stand in this parliament and be part of a debate around the issue of implementing paid parental leave would be something I would welcome and be proud of. But I am a little bit concerned about the debate that is occurring at the moment because we have before us two very clearly different policies around implementing paid parental leave and I am concerned that the debate is not about implementing paid parental leave but is in fact about building up reasons to block it. I will outline that a little later.

We have two policies before us. One comes from the Rudd Labor government. There was a very clear election commitment by the Australian Labor Party that when a Labor government was elected it would move towards implementing a policy around paid parental leave. It is a policy that has been rigorously scrutinised and is the result of much consultation and discussion and its recommendations come out of a year-long inquiry that was conducted by the Productivity Commission. Therefore, it is a policy that is fiscally responsible, affordable and already budgeted for by the government. It is clearly one that provides equal access for all working women in this country to what is a reasonable weekly salary or wage to assist them and their families when they are at home taking time off work to look after a newborn child—a weekly equivalent of the minimum wage at around $544 per week. This builds on the tradition of the Labor Party and Labor governments, which have always been the champions of working families and the rights of working people in this country. Job security, income security, conditions of work and conditions that support working people to enjoy a lifestyle that enables them to bring up their families in a comfortable economic environment are things that we have championed over the last hundred years.

On the other hand, you have the opposition presenting what has been eloquently described as a thought bubble policy that is financially irresponsible. It imposes a great big tax on everything by asking big business to pay—and it is a significant amount. Indeed, the Treasurer is saying it is around $10.8 billion. We know it will be passed on to consumers. It will become a tax on everything, not just for those who can afford to pay but for those who are least in a position to pay. This is because it will be passed on through consumption rather than being a responsible policy funded by the government.

It is also inherently unfair. It does not provide equal access to maternity leave. It says, ‘Your worthiness as a stay-at-home mother for six months is dependent on the salary that you are earning.’ It does not treat and acknowledge the need for women to be able to stay home or cover their costs and supplement their income as does the government’s policy. It says, ‘If you earn $150,000 then that is what you will get and if you earn $30,000 then that is what you will get.’ It does not acknowledge the inherent inequality in that policy. It says that those who are the most vulnerable in this community will pay for that inequitable policy through an increase in the goods and services that they procure, because we know that big business will pass on that cost to those people they are providing goods for.

I believe that this debate is not about which is the best policy on paid parental leave; it is about the opposition leader reinforcing his position that he would see paid parental leave over his dead body. He is going to argue that he will block this in the Senate. He will ignore the campaigns of the last 30 and more years of women in this country to get fair and equitable paid parental leave. He wants to block it and say he is blocking it because his policy, although irresponsible, is better. (Time expired)

Question agreed to.

See this speech in context