Natasha Stott Despoja (SA, Australian Democrats) Share this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I thank the minister for her answer and best wishes. I also acknowledge a conflict of interest! I ask the minister: given that in reality only around 34 per cent of Australian working women do have access to paid maternity leave; given the low workforce participation rates of working women in Australia in comparison to the rest of the OECD—we are eighth lowest; given that the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency has told us that those workplaces that do provide paid maternity leave have a 19 per cent higher return to work rate by women; given that the baby bonus does nothing to ensure workplace attachment for women, nor the continuation of their superannuation; and given the fact that women who still get the baby bonus sometimes have to give up their job or go back to work too early or they cannot do what is in their best interests, those of their family or the child, will the government rule out paid maternity leave as a policy?