Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

I would encourage those opposite, if they are to start reading a report, to read the report all the way to the end—it might help.

Ms Macklin interjecting—

Page 33—that is a long way past the executive summary, for the information of those opposite. This is the evaluation report commissioned by those opposite when they were in government, so it is their work, their commissioning and this was the result, when it comes to the pay parental leave measures introduced by the previous government in a very cosy deal with the unions.

Ms Macklin interjecting—

I think they need to hear this. We know that those opposite get pretty worked up when you start poking around the deals that have been done with the unions. When they have a sweetheart deal with the unions, that is the thing they will defend—their union mates.

… 78 per cent of mothers were expected not to return to paid work by 18 weeks, compared to 85 per cent after PPL was introduced.

So for up to 18 weeks there was an improvement in mothers staying home with their children. But after 18 weeks, this was the result:

Six months after the birth, the effect of PPL was no longer evident, with 64 per cent of mothers not having returned to paid work before and after the scheme's introduction.

But if you go on to page 44, the research showed no difference after 18 weeks—no difference. It was worse for single mothers, because those staying back 26 weeks after the introduction of PPL fell from 70.6 per cent to 64.5 per cent. The problem for the opposition is that the numbers just do not support the Labor union deal that they hatched together when they were in government.

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