Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Given the acknowledged need for a paid parental leave scheme in Australia, how can the Prime Minister accuse the opposition of obstructing the introduction of a scheme when he is yet even to introduce legislation to give it effect a full 10 months after he announced that he would act in May last year? Will the Prime Minister commit to introducing this legislation this week or is he just all talk and no action on this issue too?

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition has no shame. They had 12 years to act on paid parental leave and what do we get? A big fat zero. This government, after two years in office, has made plain its plans for a paid parental leave scheme, one which will become active as of 1 January 2011, if those opposite choose to back it.

The Leader of the Opposition, I think, has been on a road to Damascus on this one. It seems that when our policy came out he was probably in the position of his historical view of paid parental leave, which is not on his dead body. That was his historical principle position but something happened on the road to Damascus and he discovered paid parental leave. The second evolution was that he said, ‘If there’s going to be one, there’ll be no new taxes.’ How long did that position of principle last? Four weeks, and then that one was canned as well. Thirdly, he came out with a position which delivered his paid parental leave scheme which says that certain income earners will get something like $2,800 a week in exchange for average families having to pay increased prices for bread and increased prices for petrol through his great big new tax on everything.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order on relevance. Will he introduce the legislation this week?

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

The Leader of the Opposition will resume his seat. The Prime Minister is responding to the question.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition is flipping and flopping between a position of principled opposition, then principled support for paid parental leave and principled opposition to any taxes on businesses that support parental leave, and then suddenly we discover those principles have gone out the back door. That one took only four weeks, Tony. Then on top of that we have his position last week. Initially, he was totally opposed to the government’s position, but then after the blowtorch was applied over the course of the weekend they may now support it. We look forward to the opposition’s support for what will be the first paid parental leave scheme in Australia’s history and one which we have implemented in two years in office after they had 12 years to act. I look forward to their support.