Sam Rae (Hawke, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Social Services. How will the Albanese Labor government's historic changes to paid parental leave, which passed the parliament yesterday, provide more support to parents in those crucial early years?

Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Hawke for his question. I know he's a passionate advocate in this place for families and I really appreciate his advocacy on these issues. Yesterday the government's paid parental leave legislation passed both houses of parliament. This is a win for working families, because paid parental leave is, of course, a proud legacy of previous Labor governments. The Albanese government is building on that legacy with the reforms that passed the parliament

Labor's original introduction of paid parental leave, recent reports suggest, have boosted female workforce participation, particularly for women with children aged zero to five, because it keeps that connection between a woman, the workplace and the labour force. With these changes, over 180,000 families each year will benefit from a stronger, more generous paid parental leave scheme that's right for the times and right for the future.

We know that raising children and managing work is a juggle for many Australian families. We also know it is a time when there's lots of bills to pay, and families need all the help they can get. That's why our changes mean, from 1 July this year, that not only will more parents have access to the government payment but they will now have more flexibility in how they transition back to work and how they share care between parents. The first of July will move to a single payment that allows all parents to receive government paid leave at the same time as their employer paid leave. Currently, this option is available to mums but not dads. We are removing this unfair, outdated rule to help families maintain their income while caring for their newborns. Our changes will also make it easier for parents to share the 20-week entitlement between them in a way that works for them. We know that dads and partners want more time at home with their baby. We also know that, when parents share care, it's good for gender equality, it's good for kids and it's good for the economy. Of course, with this bill passing the parliament, we will now be able to take claims from late March, so parents can pre-claim so they can get the payment with no fuss from 1 July.

This is our first start to expanding paid parental leave. We intend, from July 2024, to expand the scheme by two weeks each year until we reach six months in 2026. This is a key reform that is good for the economy, it's good for families, and it is Labor that is delivering it.