Stephen Bates (Brisbane, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I'm glad to support the Paid Parental Leave Amendment (Improvements for Families and Gender Equality) Bill 2022, which makes paid parental leave available to both parents in the relationship. It's a welcome step that fosters a more equal division of care between parents and supports LGBTQI+ and non-traditional family units as well.

We're facing one of the most significant cost-of-living and housing crises we've ever faced. Brisbane residents and their families are struggling to manage their care responsibilities and work commitments to make ends meet. Widening the scope of paid parental leave is a step in the right direction, but there's so much more that we can do. Despite these improvements, Australia's current Paid Parental Leave scheme is ranked as the second worst in the developed world. Australians only receive 18 weeks of paid leave, which doesn't come close to the international best practice of 52 weeks and doesn't reach the same level of pay or structured 'use it or lose it' provisions.

This bill is a welcome recognition of the need to reform the way we design parental leave. We must address maternal and child health; and encourage shared care and the contribution of paid parental leave policies to shift attitudes of traditional gender roles and narrow the persistent gender pay gap. We must keep pushing for the kind of support and care that our community deserves. At a minimum, the government should immediately fund 26 weeks of paid parental leave. Families can't afford to wait another three years.

In a country as wealthy as Australia, this is something that we can do. If the government can find $40 billion of fossil fuel subsidies, they can find the money to take care of working families. If the government can afford these subsidies, they can afford to give carers and their children the quality of life that they deserve. If we can afford the stage 3 tax cuts, which will cost $245 billion over the next decade, we can afford to make a world-class paid parental leave scheme. The work and care inquiry initiated by my colleague Senator Barbara Pocock in the Senate has heard a wealth of evidence about the need for a strong parental leave scheme, and the Greens will continue to push to make that a reality.

Like I said, families can't afford to wait another three years. We must accept the recommendations of stakeholders like the Australian Council of Trade Unions and establish a full 52 weeks of paid parental leave by 2030 as per international standards. Families across the world and particularly across Scandinavia already enjoy such high standards of paid parental leave, and Australian families deserve the same.

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