Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Manufacturing) Share this | Hansard source

It is interesting that we are debating a Paid Parental Leave Scheme when you look at the track record of this government and, in particular, of the Prime Minister. I noted the comments of the member for Fowler only a few moments ago. I entirely agree with many of the things he said with respect to the track record of this government. I would like to repeat a couple of the realities of the Abbott government's record on the Paid Parental Leave Scheme and on women more broadly. The Prime Minister himself is on record as having said on 22 July 2002, when referring to the introduction of the Paid Parental Leave scheme:

Over this government's dead body, frankly. It just won't happen.

It is amazing what political reality can do for your beliefs in this place. Not only has the Prime Minister had a change of mind but he was going to go even further than what the previous Labor government had done when it introduced the current Paid Parental Leave Scheme. He now wants to introduce a scheme that will pay mothers who are in the workforce up to $50,000 when they have a baby. It is clear that the Prime Minister realised that it was smart politics if he was to show a little bit more respect and regard for women around the country. But the reality is that leopards do not change their spots.

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