Julian Simmonds (Ryan, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

Australia is the best country in the world to raise a family. I've lived my whole life in the Ryan electorate and I'm now raising my own young family there, along with the 39,161 other families in Ryan. So I made a commitment when I put up my hand to seek their support at the last election, as part of the Liberal-National government, to support the families of my electorate in every way I could. It's with that promise that I rise to proudly support this bill, because it goes to the heart of how we in the Liberal-National Party support our families. We want to support our families through flexibility and support through measures that allow them to suit their own needs and things that draw and require the attention of their families. Labor, on the other hand, seeks to tell families how to live, what car to drive and how they can spend their money so much better than the mums and dads who are trying to raise their kids.

It was a great pleasure to talk to many families across my electorate about how, as part of a re-elected Morrison government, we were going to reduce taxes for some 10 million Australians, including many families, who need that money back in their pocket to spend on their own priorities. Being a young dad myself, with another little one on the way, I know that nothing really prepares you for raising a child. The life of every new parent as our friend Tom from Sky News, who had his baby today—congratulations to Tom and his family—and any new dad knows, can be unpredictable with a newborn. In fact, it is entirely unpredictable. It's something you can't really prepare for as a new parent when your first child comes into the world, and so I think there is nothing we can do that can support families more than providing them with as much flexibility as possible to suit their own needs and working arrangements.

It's no different when it comes to our paid parental leave scheme, which this bill addresses. While as new parents we may all be united in the decision to bring a child into the world, it comes with very different circumstances for all of us. Across my electorate, as across Australia, different families, new families, will be juggling different requirements and work requirements so that they can ensure as many opportunities for their family as possible. For families, no one size fits all so it's important that we have a paid parental leave scheme that can be tailored to best suit the needs of any mum and dad. Flexibility is the greatest way to allow choices for Australian families.

Currently, paid parental leave can only be taken as a continuous block of 18 weeks within the first 12 months after the birth or adoption of a child. With these measures that the Morrison government is putting forward in this bill, families will be able to split their parental leave pay into blocks over a two-year period with periods of work in between if that's what mum and dad need. Mum and dads will be able to use an initial 12-week block of their entitlement at any time within the first 12 months after the birth or adoption of their child without returning to work.

Again, I can tell you from my own recent experience that the first 12 weeks are a rollercoaster. It's a time of course of joy and bonding, and it is so important that the government provides that opportunity for parents to spend that 12 weeks with their children. Under this legislation, after that time, parents will be able to take their remaining entitlement of up to six week if they so choose any time before their child turns two years old. Mum and dads will still get the 18 weeks currently allowed—that's an important point. This isn't a reduction in entitlements by any means; it simply allows them greater flexibility to suit their lifestyle and circumstances.

The Prime Minister has spoken previously about this government's achievements when it comes to supporting women in the workplace. Women's workforce participation is at a record high of just over 61 per cent. It is absolutely vital that we do everything we can do to support women working while raising a family, if that is their choice. Work-life balance is different, person to person and family to family. While some women may be able to take the initial block of 18 weeks in one go, other women, with different working requirements, need greater flexibility to suit their personal situation.

As the son of small business owners, I know that one week—as politicians they say a week is a long time in politics—is a long time out of the shop and 18 weeks away from the helm of a small business, particularly during peak times of the year, can seem like too long. Women who work in small business and need to return to work sooner than the 18 weeks should not be disadvantaged and should not lose the balance of their entitlements. Should these changes come to pass in this bill through the House, they won't be disadvantaged. It will allow mothers the choice to return to work on a part-time basis following an initial period of parental leave. They could choose to negotiate with their employer to work a certain number of days, such as working a four-day week and receiving paid parental leave for the fifth day.

Raising a child is a team effort. These changes will enable mothers to transfer their entitlement to partners who also take on the role of primary carer. Fundamentally, on this side of the House, we believe that individuals should be able to negotiate their own outcomes. Good government is there to support Australians in the way that they want to raise and best serve the needs of their family—not to stand in the way, not to tell parents how it's done or what block they should take in terms of paid parental leave, but to try and set up arrangements that allow maximum flexibility so that they can make their own decisions. Unlike Labor, who like to tell Australians what they should do based on the opinion of the few—who say it on Twitter, for example—this government listens to everyday Australians, responds to suggestions and continually adapts to make sure that our policies around supporting families are both flexible and provide the families of Australia with the maximum amount of support we possibly can.

Paid parental leave is an important safety net for nearly half of all Australian mums. We will always make sure it is certain, fair and flexible. To the mums and dads out there who are working tirelessly to raise their families: thank you for everything that you do and for the sacrifices that you make. It is so important for our nation. We know, mums and dads, that you are working your guts out. We appreciate the work that you are doing, and the Morrison-McCormack government is absolutely here to support you.

See this speech in context