Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I take that 'hear, hear' from the minister at the desk. As the son of a single mother of 10 children—I don't think she would have had paid parental leave!—I can say that as much support as possible is needed in modern Australia. Supporting families in their care responsibilities and helping them to balance care effectively is key to ensuring women's long-term economic equality. The Albanese government is committed to helping give women more flexibility in child care and to making sure that they don't have to choose between having a child and having a career.

When fathers take a greater caring role from the start, it benefits mums, dads and their kids, hopefully—my sons, Stan and Leo, just gloss over that fact! This bill sends a clear message that treating parenting as an equal partnership supports gender equality. The Albanese government values men as carers too, and we want to see that reinforced in workplaces and our communities right across Australia. We're committed to helping create a system which supports modern Australian families. This scheme is flexible, fair and drives positive health, social and economic outcomes for both parents and their children.

Paid parental leave is also vital to ensuring the health and wellbeing of parents. Increasing the amount of leave that can be taken simultaneously from two weeks to four weeks means that parents can support each other through the stages of early parenthood without needing to incur extra financial hardship. With the rising cost of living, paid parental leave enables families to have that little bit of flexibility in distributing the role of caring and helps to ease the financial strain of child care.

This is the largest investment in Paid Parental Leave since Labor established it back in 2011, and it will benefit over 180,000 families each year.

Labor governments have always been the ones who stick up for families. We've implemented cheaper child care, better paid parental leave and helped more families to buy a home. This is all part of the Albanese government's plan to ensure a better future for all.

Obviously children and young families are the future of Australia—that's plain and simple. So it's vital that we make sure that children have the best possible start in life. That is a wise investment. Increasing paid parental leave is so important because it enables parents to give their child the care that they need and will mean better outcomes for both children and parents. The Paid Parental Leave scheme makes it easier for both partners to share the childcare responsibilities and, according to the Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce, is one of the best ways to advance women's economic equality.

The Albanese government will always look for ways to further gender equality, and these changes will benefit not only women but obviously all Australians. Paid parental leave also creates more flexibility for employers, with parents able to return to work earlier and balance work and care more effectively.

More flexibility for families creates a more flexible and versatile economy, which is a good thing. It benefits all Australians. It makes it easier for women to participate in the workforce, and I'm sure both sides of the chamber would see that being a sound economic policy and a key component of building a modern Australia.

Matt and Anna, a couple in my electorate of Moreton, have told me of the benefit that paid parental leave gives to their family. They said: 'The Paid Parental Leave scheme is of huge benefit to working families. It gave us the ability to take time off at a vital stage of life and gave us the option of flexibility. The scheme is vital for ensuring that women have the option of returning to work if they choose. Children also get the benefit of developing a strong bond with both parents from an early age.' Thank you to Matt and Anna. This is a story that would be echoed by many families across Australia and demonstrates how important it is that we keep supporting parents and children, especially at such an early age. Giving people the option of flexibility and the stability of 26-weeks leave means that having a child does not have to become a complex financial decision.

Another one of my constituents stated, 'This is an area I'm passionate about, and I'm glad it's finally receiving attention from the government.'

This is the largest investment in Paid Parental Leave since Labor established it back in 2011 and goes to show how important it is to maintain these strong institutions. The continual advances in Paid Parental Leave and the focus on cheaper child care demonstrates just how committed we are to ensuring that families across Australia have a strong network of support from government. Raising children is a tough job. It's important that children have a strong support system, especially in those early years. Labor governments are committed to making sure that all families have equitable access to government support and that parents have the opportunity to take leave at that vital stage of life for their child, which is the hours best spent.

The expansion of Paid Parental Leave is a commitment put forward in the October budget, and it's great to see it being enacted in legislation. It was the centrepiece of Labor's first budget, where we invested half-a-billion dollars to expand the scheme to six months by 2026, and now the Albanese government obviously does more than just talk about such change—we make commitments, and we enact them. That's what sensible governments do. You make that promise and you stick to it. The implementing and maintaining of Paid Parental Leave is critical in maintaining a modern Australia. Paid parental leave gives women more flexibility in their caring role and gives children the vital care they need at such a young age.

In another life, I was a school teacher, and there's a lot of evidence that shows if you can invest in young kids as much as possible that time and attention and support all pays off in primary school and then in high school, so this bill makes it easier for both partners to be active in child care and encourages a more equitable arrangement for families. This bill honours our commitment to Australian families by delivering a policy that is flexible, fair, drives positive health, and social and economic outcomes. I stress again: it has economic outcomes for both parents and their children. It goes to the heart of what Labor governments are about—giving people the support to grow and looking after families to foster a modern Australia.

The bill before the House is good for parents, good for kids, good for employers and good for the economy. I recommend that to the House and totally discount the amendment put forward by the member for Deakin—I do not recommend that at all.

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