Chris Bowen (McMahon, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Australian Industry Group has said that the Prime Minister's Paid Parental Leave Scheme should be 'abandoned'. Given the Prime Minister's own colleagues and the business community do not support his Paid Parental Leave Scheme, when will the Prime Minister finally abandon his unfair and unaffordable Paid Parental Leave Scheme?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is fair and it is affordable. It is fair because it delivers paid parental leave to the whole of Australia, not just to the public servants who work for members opposite. It is affordable because it is paid for by a modest levy on the 3,000 most profitable and largest companies in our country. So it is fair, it is affordable and it is just. It should be delivered because we have promised it at not one but two elections, and it will be delivered under this government.

The logic of members opposite is that it is all right for public servants to be paid at their wage but somehow it is wrong for shop assistants, people working in small business and all of those decent, hardworking women working in the suburbs of Brisbane, Sydney and elsewhere and in regional towns. How can members opposite claim to be friends of the workers of Australia when they do not want female workers to get paid parental leave at their wage? How can they? Really and truly, why is it fair for the Leader of the Opposition's staff to get paid parental leave at their wage and not every other Australian? It is simply not fair.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order. I just refer again to the tone of the parliament. There are a number of issues that do not form part of the debate across this chamber between the government and the opposition. The Prime Minister has just unwisely crossed that line and I would ask him to reflect on it.

Honourable members interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

There will be silence on my right and left. We will keep points of order to the standing orders and not to moral judgements.