Jenny Macklin (Jagajaga, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

The question for the opposition is exactly that: will they support the government’s scheme—which has been carefully worked out, with the advice of the Productivity Commission? Will the opposition provide support to make sure that parents have some certainty and that businesses also have certainty about the introduction of this very important scheme?

Parents right now are thinking about having a baby, bringing a new child into their family, and they want certainty. They want to know whether or not, on 1 January next year, there will be a paid parental leave scheme introduced. The government’s scheme will be introduced into the parliament shortly. The question for the Leader of the Opposition and those opposite is: will they provide certainty to Australian families so that they know that they will get a paid parental leave scheme, which those opposite were never prepared to deliver when they were in government?

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