Sharryn Jackson (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. How is the government supporting new parents, and how confident can they be that this support will improve in the future?

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

I thank the member for Hasluck for her question. She is one of those members who have been campaigning for paid parental leave for a very, very long time, because she understands that giving mums and dads extra support so that they can spend more time with their babies means that babies will get a better start in life.

That, of course, is the fundamental reason why the Rudd Labor government is introducing the first national paid parental leave scheme in our country’s history. It is a reform that Australian parents have long been waiting for. They know that for 12 years the current opposition, when they were in government, did nothing to deliver paid parental leave. Even more so, this opposition leader campaigned for years against paid parental leave. For years he campaigned against paid parental leave, and of course parents now know that it was this Leader of the Opposition who said that over his dead body would he introduce paid parental leave.

By contrast with the Leader of the Opposition, we are actually delivering paid parental leave. We asked the Productivity Commission to develop a scheme that was in Australia’s best interests. We asked them to consult employers, unions and, most importantly, families. We also asked them for recommendations that would underpin strong economic growth as well as provide support for families, and that is exactly what we are delivering. Our scheme is based on the expert recommendations of the Productivity Commission, it is economically responsible, it is fair to families and fair to business and it is fully costed and fully funded. Unlike the opposition’s scheme, which you would have to say is just on the never-never, our scheme is going to start on 1 January 2011, and Australia will finally get its first national paid parental leave scheme.

Over the last few days we have seen the opposition trying to catch up, but if there is one thing that Australian families know it is that they cannot trust this Leader of the Opposition on paid parental leave. They know that this is just another policy con job from the Leader of the Opposition. Here are some of the responses to his latest thought bubble from members of very important industry groups and members of the media. Peter Anderson of ACCI—not someone who normally knocks the Leader of the Opposition—said that this is ‘a mistake’, that it is ‘wrong’ and that it is ‘unfair’. Heather Ridout from the Australian Industry Group—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The House will come to order!

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Oh, shock us! What did Heather Ridout have to say? Say it’s not true.

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

Of course they just want to ignore all of the companies that are members of the Australian Industry Group—all of those employers doing a great job making sure that they help their companies get out of the difficult times they have been in. What Heather Ridout said is that this is ‘bad policy’ and went on to say it is ‘the sort of policy you have when you are not serious about having a policy’.

Peter Hartcher in today’s Sydney Morning Herald

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Health and Ageing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Heather Ridout and Peter Hartcher—who’s next?

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Dickson is warned.

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

No wonder they don’t want to hear this, because he said it was ‘a pile of policy rubbish’. Michelle Grattan in the Age—

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The minister will resume her seat. The minister has the call. She will be heard in silence.

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

Michelle Grattan in the Age summed it up this way:

This will reinforce fears Abbott is flaky …

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What about Germaine Greer?

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

Samantha Maiden in the Australian: ‘a policy that is just too dumb to fly’. The opposition leader wants to throw out the Productivity Commission’s serious piece of substantial work and replace it. This is his policy—just a couple of pages of ramblings from the Leader of the Opposition.

Tony Smith (Casey, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What about John Pilger?

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Casey is warned.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Education, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Pyne interjecting

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Sturt is warned.

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

This is more evidence of the Leader of the Opposition talking first and thinking later. No costings, no detail, no time line—there is nothing in these few pages of ramblings from the Leader of the Opposition. This is creating massive uncertainty for Australian families and Australian businesses. They want certainty. They want to know that they are going to get Labor’s paid parental leave scheme delivered on 1 January next year. They have been waiting for decades for this scheme. It is time the opposition delivered their support.