Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Minister, for giving the government’s response. I am not surprised by it. It was consistent with what you have been saying all along. I have moved these amendments because I obviously think that it is very important. If the government are not going to support them, then they should do the right thing by ensuring that in their promotion of this scheme, when it is eventually passed, they are upfront and honest about the fact that they are not guaranteeing that every person who is entitled to the payment has a guarantee of getting their job back. That is not the way that the government have been speaking about this policy initiative to date. They have been saying that people will get paid parental leave. But not everybody does under the government’s scheme. People are entitled to a payment, yes. But they are not necessarily entitled to leave. The government need to be upfront about that. The minister responsible must be upfront with Australian families and say, ‘I can’t guarantee that you’re going to get your job back.’