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

For similar reasons to those for which the Greens would not support the amendment put forward by the opposition to the substantive bill, we cannot support this amendment either. It is really important—particularly in view of the amendment that the Greens put forward to ensure that there was a direct linkage between this Paid Parental Leave scheme and the Fair Work Act and therefore having a workplace entitlement—that the only existing piece of connection that parents will have with their workplace is through the employer being the paymaster. It is absolutely vital that that connection remain in this piece of legislation. I still do not quite understand where the opposition are going with this. If they are not committing to insist on these amendments when the bill comes back from the House, I am not sure why we are going through this facade.