Bruce Billson (Dunkley, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Small Business, Competition Policy and Consumer Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. Has the minister seen this 17 December 2010 letter from the then Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Employment and Economic Development in the Queensland government—now Minister for Tourism, Manufacturing and Small Business—Jan Jarratt, where she states:

Mandating employers to take over the paymaster function—

for the paid parental leave payments—

is a costly and time consuming administrative issue for employers, particularly those who are operators of small businesses.

Why won’t the government accept the advice of a Labor colleague and adopt the coalition’s bill to keep the payment responsibilities with the Family Assistance Office rather than making life harder for the hard-working small businessmen and women of Australia?

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 shadow minister for his question. I just point out a few facts to him, including the number of employers who are actually signing up to be part of the government’s historic Paid Parental Leave scheme. These are employers who actually want to keep connection with their employees. They are employers who actually understand—

Bruce Billson (Dunkley, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Small Business, Competition Policy and Consumer Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Billson interjecting

Honourable Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

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

I did not clearly hear what the member for Dunkley said, so I am not in a position to ask him to withdraw. But he may have got some very sensible advice from the other side of the House: he should be very careful with his interjections.

Joe Hockey (North Sydney, Liberal Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

A rare moment.

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

I am just cautioning him. The House will sit in silence while the minister responds to the question.

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

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I just remind the opposition that in fact employers are not taking any notice of their silly political games; they are signing up and joining with the government to make sure that we continue to introduce a successful paid parental leave scheme in Australia.

Bruce Billson (Dunkley, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Small Business, Competition Policy and Consumer Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to table the letter from the Queensland government saying the Gillard government has got this wrong.

Leave not granted.