Terri Butler Griffith, Australian Labor Party
2:55 pm
My question is to the Prime Minister. Why does the Prime Minister believe that it is fair for carers to lose $80 a week because of his budget cuts while, at the same time, wealthy Australians will receive $50,000 to have a baby?
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
Yet again there are assertions in the question which are simply untrue. I ask the member who has asked the question to demonstrate where her claim is justified because there are no changes to carers as a result of the budget. We made commitments to carers, pre-election, and those commitments will be kept. They will be kept because this is a government which keeps its commitments. One of our commitments was to a fair dinkum paid parental leave scheme—
Mr Shorten interjecting—
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The Leader of the Opposition will cease interjecting or he will be warned. The Prime Minister has the call.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
I say to the member who asked me the question: why does she think that her staff should have access to paid parental leave at their wage and not the rest of the people?
Mr Tony Burke Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Finance
Madam Speaker, on a point of order: you have previously ruled, consistent with Practice, that questions to private members can only occur within very specific requirements under the standing orders. Ministers cannot do that in their answers.
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The member will resume his seat. The Prime Minister is using a rhetorical question, not an actual question.
Opposition members interjecting—
And if you can't work that out you'd better do some syntax.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
I can understand why members opposite are touchy about this, because what they want is fundamentally unfair. They want one standard for public servants and a worse standard for the people of Australia.
Mr Dreyfus interjecting—
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
I think there should be one fair standard for all the people of Australia. If you go on paid parental leave you should be paid at your wage.
Ms Butler interjecting—
Mrs Bronwyn Bishop Speaker
The member for Griffith has asked her question.
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
The caterwauling from members opposite, the barrage of interjections from the Leader of the Opposition and others, demonstrate just how touchy they are, just how hypersensitive they are on this point. Why does the Leader of the Opposition think that his staff should be paid paid parental leave at their wage and not the rest of the people of Australia? If it is fair for public servants it is fair for the people of Australia.
Ms Butler interjecting—
Tony Abbott Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister
That is why we took this commitment to the 2010 election, we took it to the 2013 election and we will deliver on it, because the people of Australia deserve a fair system of paid parental leave.
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order.
Anthony Albanese Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport
Can I make a point of order?