Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, my question is to the Minister representing the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, Senator Arbib. Can the minister please update the Senate on how the Gillard Labor government is supporting Australian families, and can he advise the Senate on the progress of the Gillard government's historic Paid Parental Leave scheme.

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Housing and Homelessness) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Polley for that very important question. The Gillard government is supporting families. We are standing by families every day in their everyday lives. Australian families want to give their children the best start in life, and that is exactly what the government is doing. Australia's first national Paid Parental Leave scheme provides eligible working parents with parental leave pay of up to 18 weeks at the national minimum wage of around $590 a week before tax. I can report to the Senate today that, at the start of October, 100,000 Australian families had claimed paid parental leave since it started at the beginning of the year. That is 100,000 families. Approximately half the mothers who have so far received the paid parental leave earned less than $42,000 in the year before the baby was born or adopted.

This scheme is helping families in need. This scheme is helping families who need support, which is exactly what was intended by the Gillard government. It is a scheme that we are extremely proud of. In what is good news, new dads and partners who share the care of new babies will be able to access dad's pay from 1 January 2013. That is more good news for Australian families. Compare this with the parental scheme policy that those Liberal senators and National Party senators have on the other side of the chamber, which will put an increased burden on business and small business, flowing down onto families and increasing costs at the cashier and at the checkout. That is the policy of the Liberal Party. Labor has delivered the Paid Parental Leave scheme and parents are benefiting.

That is not all, though, that the Gillard government is doing. Just yesterday, the Assistant Treasurer, Minister Shorten, introduced legislation into the chamber that will increase superannuation for workers from nine per cent to 12 per cent. Who is this going to benefit? It will benefit families—families will be the winners. (Time expired)

Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. Can the minister advise the Senate of what other measures the Gillard Labor government is undertaking to help Australian families make ends meet?

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Housing and Homelessness) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We are increasing superannuation for workers from nine per cent to 12 per cent. We have increased the childcare tax rebate from 30 per cent to 50 per cent. We have expanded the education tax rebate to help parents with those expenses of kids going back to school. But, most importantly, we are keeping Australians in work. There have been 750,000 jobs created since we were first elected and there are 120,000 more Australians employed than there were 12 months ago. And not just that—the Liberal senators on the other side of the chamber will hate hearing this on interest rates—but, because of the government's fiscal strategy and because we acted when we had to during the global financial crisis, through the stimulus we have provided space and we have seen now an interest rate cut. The recent cut means that a family with a $300,000 mortgage will now pay $50 less a month in interest repayments. That is a saving of $590 a year. Interest rates are 2.25 per cent less under Labor than when the Liberals were in government. (Time expired)

Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a further supplementary question. Given that affordable housing is a critical component to a family making ends meet, can the minister outline the Gillard government's investment in affordable housing to help Australian families?

Mark Arbib (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Housing and Homelessness) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Liberal senators would hate hearing that interest rates are 2.25 per cent less under Labor than when the Liberals were last in—2.25 per cent less. Working families are the winners out of that. In terms of housing, that is not all we are doing. I have talked about the almost $20 billion that is being invested in housing in this country—social housing, affordable housing—which means that almost 80,000 dwellings will be under construction. These are dwellings that disadvantaged Australians, working Australians, Australians who are doing it tough, will benefit from. This is what the Gillard government is doing. We are putting support on the table for families—for workers—and that is something we intend to keep doing.

On the other side, what do we have? Those opposite have a $70 billion black hole which will lead to cuts in services, cuts in housing and cuts in health, just like the last time Mr Abbott was health minister, as well as cuts in education. (Time expired)