Gai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

Before I ask the minister a question I want to again thank him for those comments that he made about the Vietnam vets. My father-in-law is a Vietnam vet, and I know that it was not just the treatment of those who served in that war when they got back that in a way was a blight on Australian society; it was also the treatment of the families during the war—like my husband when his dad was away—who were often on bases and had women doing it tough on their own. I know my mother-in-law was trying to bring up five kids on her own while Chris's father was deployed. Unfortunately, the treatment of the families as well was equally something that we should not be proud of. It was not just the wives of those men but also the children; they went through some pretty rugged times. I think that as a nation we all have a lot to answer for for that period, so I commend the minister for the comments he just made.

I would like to now turn to paid parental leave. In the 2015-16 budget the government proposed cuts to paid parental leave that will see female ADF personnel lose 18 weeks of paid leave with their newborn baby. It resorted to what I regard as an unworthy campaign of denigration of those who access this scheme—not just the public servants but also the ADF personnel, the AFP members, public servants who access this scheme—as well as a workplace scheme. At one stage the Treasurer agreed to the suggestion that what they were doing amounted to fraud. The government also resorted to semantic gymnastics in trying to deny that there was a consequent loss of conditions.

With regard to the changes in the paid parental scheme I have a number of questions for the minister. First, will the minister confirm that the government, on page 168 of budget paper No. 2, used the expression 'double dipping' in reference to its changes? Second, does the minister agree that this is an emotive and demeaning term? Third, does the minister regard ADF personnel who had accessed both schemes as 'double dippers', as the suggestion was through the insinuation of the response from the Treasurer as fraudsters—and I think the term 'rorters' was also floating around at the time?

Finally, will the minister disassociate himself from the language used in budget paper No. 2? On page 168 of budget paper No. 2 the term 'double-dipping' is used in reference to the changes to the paid parental scheme.

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