Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Liberal Senator Ian Macdonald today said that his inclination was to vote against the Prime Minister's unfair and unaffordable paid parental leave scheme. If even the Prime Minister's own colleagues will not support this unfair paid parental leave scheme, why should Australia?

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The principle that the Leader of the Opposition is apparently supporting is that public servants should get a better deal than the people of Australia. The principle the Leader of the Opposition is apparently supporting is that his staff should get a paid parental leave scheme that pays them at their real wage but the people of Australia should not. That is what the Leader of the Opposition is saying.

Mr Shorten interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition has asked his question and he will hear the answer.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition is saying that his staff should get a better scheme than the people of Australia. That is the real unfairness. What I am saying, what this government is saying, is that everyone should get access to paid parental leave at their wage, because this should be a workplace entitlement. I would have thought that members opposite, if they were fair dinkum about doing the right thing by the workers of Australia, would want to see people who were on parental leave paid at their real wage. If you get paid at your real wage when you go on holiday, if you get paid at your real wage when you get sick pay, if you get paid at your real wage when you take long-service leave, then surely you should get paid at your real wage on paid parental leave. The best way to ensure that this is properly funded is to make sure that the biggest companies in Australia pay it. I am very happy to get questions from the Leader of the Opposition on this subject; I really am, because this is an important social and economic reform and it will be delivered by this government.