Kara Cook (Bonner, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) from 1 July 2026, families will be eligible to receive 130 days of Parental Leave Pay, an increase from the current 120 days;

(b) from 1 July 2025, eligible parents receiving Parental Leave Pay also receive superannuation contributions, helping to close the gender gap in retirement savings; and

(c) women continue to retire with significantly less superannuation than men, in part due to time taken out of the workforce for caring responsibilities;

(2) commends the Government for expanding Parental Leave Pay and introducing superannuation on Parental Leave Pay, recognising both as landmark steps toward gender equity in the workplace and in retirement;

(3) recognises that sharing parental leave more equally between mothers and fathers supports women's workforce participation, promotes gender equity, and benefits Australian families and the broader economy; and

(4) supports the Government as it continues to build a world-class paid parental leave scheme that values the work of caring, supports working families, and advances gender equality for all Australians.

It was my birthday yesterday—21 again!—and, while I was grateful for the cards, the messages and the time spent with family, the very best gift I could receive arrives this week for Australian families. From 1 July, paid parental leave will expand to a full six months. That means more time for parents to bond with their newborn, more flexibility for mums and dads to share caring responsibilities and more support during one of the most important times in a family's life. That is what practical support for families looks like.

In my electorate of Bonner, more than 45,000 families call our community home and around 1,600 families access paid parental leave each year. These reforms will make a real difference to their lives. When Labor came to government in 2022, eligible families received around $14,000 through paid parental leave. From 1 July, families accessing the full entitlement will receive almost $30,000—around $16,000 more than they would have received just four years ago. The weekly payment will also increase to more than $1,000, and, because we've lifted the income thresholds, even more Australian families will now be eligible for this support. For many families, that is the difference between financial stress and financial security. It means parents can spend more time with their baby and less time worrying about whether they can afford to return to work before they are ready.

As a mum of three beautiful kids, I know firsthand that becoming a parent changes everything. It changes your priorities overnight. It changes your routine, your perspective and the way you think about the future. I also know that, while those first weeks and months are filled with incredible joy, they can also be exhausting, overwhelming, and, for many families, financially stressful. New parents are learning as they go, often surviving on very little sleep while trying to give their child the very best start in life. The last thing they need is the financial pressure forcing them back to work before they are ready. This is why parental leave matters. It gives a family the time to recover, to bond with their baby and to adjust to the new chapter without immediately worrying about how they are going to make the household budget work.

Since Labor began reforming the scheme in 2023, parents of more than 460,000 Australian children have already benefited from the more generous, or more flexible, paid parental leave. Around 180,000 families every year will benefit from this latest expansion. These reforms are particularly important for women. As both a mum and a member of parliament, I know there should never be a choice between building a family and building a career. Too often, women have carried the long-term financial cost of taking time out to raise children. That is why Labor has also introduced superannuation on paid parental leave, helping to close the gender retirement gap, because starting a family should never mean sacrificing financial security later in life. This is good for parents, it's good for babies, and it's good for our economy.

Our support for families doesn't stop there. From 1 July, more than 1.2 million Australian families will receive an increase to their family tax benefit, helping with the everyday cost of raising kids. In Bonner, more than 6,000 families rely on these payments, and these increases will help families put food on the table, pay the bills and meet the rising cost of essentials. We are also increasing income and asset thresholds for a range of payments, giving Australians greater flexibility before their payments begin to reduce. These are practical reforms that recognise the pressures families continue to face and that put more money back into the pockets of Australian families.

The way we support families says a great deal about the country that we want to be. Labor believes that every child deserves the very best start in life and that every parent deserves the opportunity to spend those precious first months with their newborn without unnecessary financial pressure. This is the biggest expansion of paid parental leave since the scheme was introduced. It is an investment in Australian families. It is an investment in children, and, as a mum, I know there is no job more important than raising the next generation. Every Australian family deserves the chance to spend those precious first months with a baby knowing they have the time, the support and the financial security that they need. Labor is delivering for all Australian families when it matters most.

Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Centre Alliance) | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Jess Teesdale (Bass, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the amendment, and I reserve my right to speak.

Monique Ryan (Kooyong, Independent) | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Bonner for moving this important motion and commend the government for the progress it has already made in expanding paid parental leave. From 1 July this year, families will be entitled to 130 days, or 26 weeks, of paid parental leave at the minimum wage. The taxpayer funded PPL scheme entitles either parent in households with an individual income of less than $186,487 or a dual income under $386,525 to roughly six months of leave paid at the minimum wage of $1,004.70 per week. That commences this Wednesday. This demonstrates genuine progress in paid parental leave in Australia, from 20 weeks in 2023 to 24 weeks and, now, 26. Combined with the landmark introduction of superannuation on paid parental leave from 1 July 2025, these are genuine steps forward for Australian families and for gender equity in our country.

But there's more to do. Together with Senator David Pocock, I have commissioned a costing for an extension of the scheme for parents and primary carers whose babies are born prematurely. In Australia, approximately 18 per cent of newborn babies are admitted to a neonatal intensive or special care nursery. I know personally what it is like to have a baby in a special care nursery and the uncertainty, anxiety and exhaustion at a time when you've expected to be happier than you've ever been in your life. Families with babies in NICUs and SCNs face enormous strain at the most vulnerable time in their lives. They then often struggle once their previously poorly babies are brought home.

The current scheme at this point doesn't offer them additional support. It needs to. So the reform that Senator Pocock and I are proposing would provide an additional week of paid parental leave for every week that a baby remains in hospital beyond a specified threshold, capped at 14 additional weeks and paid at the current rate. Secondary carers would also receive an extra two weeks' leave. This would represent a targeted, practical extension which would make a profound difference to families navigating the neonatal system.

We need to keep building and broadening paid parental leave because the stakes are high. Australia's fertility rate sits at an all-time low of 1.48, well below the replacement rate of 2.1. In a recent survey, 53 per cent of respondents said that they're choosing not to have more than one child because of the cost of raising a child and their financial situation. Paid parental leave is part of the answer.

One of my constituents Laurence Greaves recently told me that he had to relocate back to Kooyong with his family because it was the only way that he could afford to have a child. Both Laurence and his wife are professionals, and they work full time, but they still needed to move states in order to get the family support that they had to have to be able to afford parenthood. Laurence also raised the outdated Maternity Leave Act 1973, which has prevented his family from accessing the flexible parental leave payments which are available to other Australians.

His experience is not unique and is exactly why we need to keep improving this scheme—which makes it all the more disappointing that One Nation continues to undermine this important conversation. At the recent National Press Club address, Senator Hanson criticised paid parental leave. One Nation still sees parental leave as a cost, rather than an investment in women's workforce participation and their security in retirement.

Under the National Employment Standards, it's not compulsory for employers to fund parental leave—it's a government funded payment—but the fact is that nearly 70 per cent of businesses do voluntarily pay additional parental leave entitlements to their workers because they understand the value of that leave, and they understand the value of their workers. When more than half of all Australians say that cost is stopping them from having children, arguing against additional, fair support for new parents is not just wrong; it's economically self-defeating.

That's why I will always support this and other efforts by governments of Australia to build a world-class Paid Parental Leave scheme that values the work of caring, that supports working families and which advances gender equality for all Australians.

Jess Teesdale (Bass, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

This week marks an important step forward for Australian families. From this Wednesday 1 July the Albanese Labor government will deliver a major expansion to paid parental leave, giving new parents more time at home, more support in those early months and greater security when they need it the most. This reform will be felt directly in my electorate of Bass. In the last financial year around 850 families across Bass accessed paid parental leave. That means hundreds of local families relying on this support during one of the biggest transitions in life—welcoming a newborn baby or newly adopted child, recovering, bonding, adjusting and trying to make the family budget work at the same time.

From 1 July eligible families will be able to access up to 26 weeks of paid parental leave. That is six months support—six months for parents to spend more time with their newest family member; six months to help families make decisions based less on financial pressure and more on what's important and what is right for the wellbeing of their child. The payment rate is also increasing to $1,004 per week, meaning families who access the full entitlement will receive almost $30,000 in government funded paid parental leave.

The income limits are also increasing so more families will be able to benefit, and, importantly, superannuation is now being paid on government funded paid parental leave. That is significant reform, because, for too long, parents—and especially women—have paid a financial penalty for time spent caring. They've taken time out of the workforce to raise children, and too often that has meant lower retirement savings later in life. Paying super on paid parental leave recognises that caring for a baby is not a break from contribution; it is a contribution. It is work that strengthens families, communities and our entire economy.

The expansion also supports a fairer sharing of care. From July, four weeks of leave will be reserved for the other parent or partner in a couple, helping more partners take time at home and share the caring responsibilities in those early months. It is good for children, it is good for parents, and it helps to shift that expectation that caring is something that only one parent should carry alone.

Since the expansion of paid parental leave began, parents of more than 460,000 children have already benefited from increased support and flexibility. Now that scheme reaches 26 weeks—the largest expansion since paid parental leave was introduced by a Labor government. This does not stand alone. From 1 July more than 1.2 million families with children will received a boost to family tax benefit payments, helping with the cost of raising children. Family tax benefit part A will rise, Family tax benefit B will rise, and across the social security system a range of payments, thresholds and limits will increase. These are practical changes at a time when families' budgets are under pressure. They mean more money in the pockets of Australian families, they mean more support for workers with the cost of essentials, and they mean parents are not left to carry these pressures alone

In Bass. I know families are working hard. They are juggling rosters, rents, mortgages, child care, groceries, fuel and many costs that come with raising children. For those families, paid parental leave was not an abstract policy. It's time at home. It's a bit more breathing room when you need it the most. It's the ability to focus on a new baby, without the same immediate pressures to rush back to work before you're ready. That's why this reform is so important. It strengthens paid parental leave, it supports gender equality, it backs families when they need that support the most, and it gives children a much stronger start in life. That is what practical Labor reform always looks like. It's more time, more security and more support for Australian families.

Aaron Violi (Casey, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for the Digital Economy) | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm glad to rise and speak on this motion. Paid parental leave is an important topic. It's quite amazing how far we have moved as a country in the last decade alone. I think about my own journey. When my son was born in 2015, I was entitled to two weeks of leave at the minimum wage, paid for by the government. We've moved a long way since then. Unfortunately for my wife, she was—conveniently for her employer at the time, but not so much for us—made redundant when she was pregnant, so she didn't get the benefit of any employee leave or government leave. That is the world that some people have to inhabit. I will definitely not name that business; I don't think it's worth bringing up 10 years later. But what it goes to is the importance of that financial security. As a good friend, an older gentleman, said to me when kids were on the way, 'Good luck; your expenses double and your income halves.' Unfortunately for us, given that redundancy, that was literally what happened.

The importance of this is twofold. It is the financial support that we give to families but also the message that we send to young Australians: that we want them to continue to have families and we want to ease some of that burden for them. I know that in the last parliament, when this legislation was passed, it was supported by the coalition. It had bipartisan support to increase the paid parental leave, and we also supported the increase to the superannuation being paid on that leave, although we did want to make an amendment to give a little bit more flexibility and choice to those who were taking leave, particularly in a high-cost environment. As a coalition, we wanted to give families the choice. They would have three options: they could have kept that option of getting superannuation; they could have taken the immediate benefit of going from 26 weeks to 28 weeks of leave to give them that money when they needed it today; or they could have chosen to take that money as a lump sum, because superannuation is absolutely crucial but we're also asking people to lock it into a box and wait potentially 30 or 40 years to get access to that money. In circumstances like mine, that money could have been really impactful at that time. I still remember from my accounting course that the net present value of a dollar today is a lot more than that of a dollar in 30 or 40 years. So it was disappointing that that flexible choice couldn't be given to families last term.

While paid parental leave is really important, we should also be realistic about what it's providing. It is providing payments from the taxpayer—from the government—to families that need them, but it is at the minimum wage, so we can't pretend that receiving this money is going to solve every problem and make it completely easy for families and suddenly all their financial burdens will disappear. The reality is that, to make sure that families can continue to grow and that parents don't feel that financial burden, we need to continue to bring down inflation. We need to solve the economic problems across the country, because, if you bring inflation to a sustainable level, it means that the price of everything is not going up every week and it means that, for those who are receiving that paid parental leave, that money can go further on food, on rent and on their electricity bills.

Unfortunately, after four years of this government, we have seen that inflation is again above the band—and well above the band. The trimmed mean, the one that the RBA looks at, went from 3.4 per cent to 3.6 per cent last week. This is a treasurer that has completely failed the Australian people and that has completely failed Australian families. He is unable to sustainably address this cost-of-living crisis. Under his watch, it is getting worse and worse, and Australian families are paying the price. The Treasurer and the Prime Minister are not able to sustainably bring inflation down. They have no answers to the economic challenges we are facing. While measures like paid parental leave are so important, they will help those temporarily, but they are again treating the symptom and not the cause of the economic challenges that the Australian people face.

When I speak to members of my community, they are angry and they are frustrated. They feel like they are on an economic treadmill and that that treadmill is getting faster and faster every day and that that speed is getting sped up by this government that does not have any solutions to the challenges they face. We need to get back to basics. We need to make sure government spending is sustainable and that there is a positive plan for the Australian people moving forward.

Ali France (Dickson, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

The weeks and months after my first baby, Henry, was born are still clear in my mind—his first smile, his chubby feet and hands, the sleepless nights, continuous feeding, his first cold injections, the music we'd play him to get him off to sleep, joy, stress, love and fear. That was nearly 22 years ago. I took leave from my full-time job in London in the UK 10 days before my Henry was due, and lucky I did, as he arrived a week early, eight pounds 11 ounces and 58 centimetres long. The midwife said, 'That's the longest baby we've seen for a while.' In the first few weeks, he was readmitted to hospital, as was I, and we struggled for a few months, as most new parents do. I did it, however, with the security of six months paid maternity leave, because, in the UK in 2004, that was available to me. As a public servant, I got six months full pay. It took till 2011 for all parents in the UK to get six weeks at 90 per cent pay and the remainder of the six months at a fixed rate. Six months full pay or any parental leave was unheard of in Australia at that time. Labor changed that, and this week we finally catch up to the UK, 15 years later.

I am so proud to be part of a government that is delivering one of the most significant expansions of paid parental leave ever. From 1 July this year, eligible families will be able to access up to 26 weeks of paid parental leave. Twenty-six weeks of paid parental leave helped my little family pay our mortgage. It kept me in my job. It helped pay the bills, and, of course, it gave me time to be the best mum I could be. It will help so many families in my electorate of Dickson. At the same time, across the other side of the world, my Aussie friends were just catching up. In 2011, Labor introduced Australia's very first paid parental leave scheme—18 weeks paid parental leave at the federal minimum wage. It was a lifeline for many parents, who were previously forced to use annual leave, return to work weeks after the birth or simply resign, often exiting the workforce for years if not decades. Labor's Paid Parental Leave scheme changed that. From this week, on 1 July, we will add another two weeks per year, up from last year, which brings us to a total of six additional weeks since we came to government in 2022.

The rate of payment is increasing to $1,004.70 per week, in step with the increase to the national minimum wage. Families accessing the full entitlement will now receive almost $30,000 across their paid parental leave. This is in addition to the changes we introduced last year which mean that the government will pay superannuation on Paid parental leave directly into the recipients' super fund. We are taking this step towards closing the gender pay gap in super, which we know disproportionately affects women who have taken time off work to stay home with the kids. We've also raised the annual income eligibility cap on the Paid Parental Leave scheme, meaning more people will be eligible to access paid parental leave. We know around 180,000 families benefit from expanded paid parental leave each year, and, since these changes were introduced in 2023, the parents of over 460,000 children have benefited from more support and flexibility. Now the parents of a new or newly adopted baby have more support than ever before.

The majority of OECD countries have had six months of paid parental leave for years and decades. We now catch up, and it is no coincidence that these changes have happened under Labor governments. The coalition had nine years to bring Australia into line with other developed countries. They chose not to, and don't get me started on One Nation's views on parental leave. Senator Hanson made it clear in the past when she said that women get pregnant to access maternity leave. We need to ensure paid parental leave is protected into the future. It is investment in our kids, in our families, in women's economic security and in our economy.

Simon Kennedy (Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister to the Leader of the Opposition) | Link to this | Hansard source

Paid parental leave matters deeply to Australians. It matters to new mothers, it matters to new fathers, it matters to babies, and it matters to families trying to manage one of the most important and demanding moments in a family and a baby's life. Let me be extremely clear. The coalition fully supports paid parental leave. Unlike One Nation, who questions this program, Australians will stand with mothers, will stand with fathers, will stand with babies and will stand with families on paid parental leave.

Let me make this very clear from the outset. This is not about whether families should receive paid parental leave—of course they should. This debate is about whether families should be trusted with greater flexibility and choice in how the leave is used. The coalition's approach is simple. We trust families, we empower mothers, we empower fathers, and we look after babies. Every family is different. Every household is different. You have different work arrangements—work from home, work in the office—different financial pressures and different caring responsibilities. Every family has different needs. Some families have one parent who's self-employed. Others have one parent in shift work. Some families have a parent running a small business. Some families have one parent with insecure work or casual work. Some families have grandparents nearby, while others don't. Some families have health challenges. Some have mortgage pressures. Some have no practical choice about which parent can stay home and which must work.

This is why a 'one size fits all' approach doesn't work. It needs to be tailored to each individual's family circumstances. The best people to decide how your care is organised in your child's first year of life is you, not politicians, not bureaucrats, not people inside this Canberra bubble. It's parents and families. Government should support families' choices. They shouldn't be dictating families arrangements. Paid parental leave should provide support. It should provide security, and it should provide flexibility and choice. It shouldn't be designed around the assumption that the government knows better than you in how your kids should be looked after.

Labor repeatedly tells Australian families that from 1 July they'll receive six months of paid parental leave, but what Labor doesn't always explain is the fine print. We haven't just learnt this around the budget. We've learnt this around this scheme as well. From 1 July 2026, the scheme rises to 26 weeks or 130 days, but, in a two-parent household four weeks are reserved for each parent on a 'use it or lose it' basis. That's right. Both parents have to use at least four weeks, or you can lose that time. That means, in many two-parent families, the primary carer simply can't access the full 26 weeks in the way that suits that family best. The primary carer generally may be able to access a maximum of only 22 weeks, with the remaining four weeks being reserved and protected for that other parent. If that other parent can't take that leave because of work, because of cost-of-living pressures or income pressures these families might be facing or because of business obligations, the family may lose access to that entitlement. For some families, the way the scheme is structured it means you and those families will not get that full entitlement. This is the problem. It's not a debate about whether one parent should care more than the other. It's not a debate about whether fathers should take leave—of course fathers should be supported to take leave. Of course shared care matters. Of course both parents play an incredibly important role in the earliest days of a child's life. But encouraging shared care is not the same as punishing families who can't make Canberra and the Labor Party's preferred model work. A family should not lose support because they don't fit neatly in Labor's preferred structure of how your family should live its life.

Supporting families means trusting those families, trusting that they know best. It means recognising the same policy works very differently in different families. We cannot believe a government that should be honest with Australian families about what this scheme actually provides. The choice is more important, the flexibility is more important, and they must have respect for parents to allow you, the parents, to decide what's best for your child. (Time expired)

Libby Coker (Corangamite, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

This motion from the member for Bonner recognises something every parent knows: the first months of a child's life matter enormously. They matter for bonding, for recovery, for a child's development and for building a strong foundation for family life where a child feels secure, cared for and valued, where parents are present and able to nurture their precious little person without the stress of work and financial pressures. This is why from 1 July, this Wednesday, another important milestone in Australia's Paid Parental Leave scheme comes into effect. Eligible families welcoming a new baby or adopting a child will be able to access up to 26 weeks of government funded paid parental leave—180 payable days—in flexible ways. Families accessing the full entitlement will receive almost $30,000 in support while spending those precious first months together. This is more than double the entitlement that existed before the Albanese Labor government came into office.

Just as importantly, parents receiving paid parental leave are now also receiving superannuation contributions, a landmark reform that recognises that caring for a child should never come at the expense of someone's retirement security. These reforms matter because caring responsibilities continue to fall disproportionately on women. Women still retire with significantly less superannuation than men, largely because of time spent out of the paid workforce raising children and caring for family members. For too long, our system treated caring as though it was not of economic value. Even today there are some in this place who still don't recognise the value of caring. The Albanese Labor government rejects this outdated thinking. We know raising children is not time away from contributing to our country; it is one of the most important contributions anyone can make. We back parents, we back carers and we back the increased wage for early childhood educators who help give children the very best start in life. That's why paying superannuation on paid parental leave is such a landmark reform. It sends a simple but powerful message: caring has value.

Our reforms are also helping families balance work and caring in ways that simply weren't possible before. When parents can remain connected to the workforce, when women are better supported to return to work if and when they choose, and when families have greater financial security, our entire economy benefits. In my state of Victoria, almost 70,000 people use paid parental leave. That means tens of thousands of Victorian families will directly benefit from these latest improvements. Across Australia, around 180,000 families benefit from Labor's expanded Paid Parental Leave scheme each year, and, since these reforms began, parents of more than 460,000 children have received greater financial support or more flexible leave arrangements.

These reforms do not stand alone. From 1 July, millions of Australians will also benefit from increases to family payments, income thresholds and other supports that help families manage the cost of living. Together these measures reflect a government committed to backing families at every stage of life. Of course, there is always more work to do. Supporting families means investing in affordable child care, strengthening early childhood education, expanding access to health care and ensuring parents have the flexibility they need to balance work and family life.

The Albanese government understands the value of these investments. It is worth remembering that paid parental leave was introduced by a Labor government, and it is this Labor government that has delivered its biggest expansion of this scheme since it began. While others in this place question the value of paid parental leave, Labor has consistently worked to strengthen it. We understand that supporting families is an investment in our shared future—a future where there is hope, stability and opportunity.

I thank the member for Bonner for bringing forward this motion, and I proudly support the Albanese Labor government's continued commitment to Australian families, to gender equality and to giving every child the best possible start in life.

Tom Venning (Grey, Liberal Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

Yet again, we have a motion from this Labor government congratulating itself. At this rate, the only thing Labor hands out more generously than taxpayer money is participation trophies for their ministers, because, unlike those across the chamber and what they would like you to think, the coalition absolutely supports paid parental leave. The Leader of the Opposition has made it abundantly clear that we have no plans to change the current scheme. Anything that supports working women and ensures they are never put into vulnerable positions is an absolute good thing.

So the debate before us today is not about whether families should receive this vital support. That is settled. The debate is about whether families should have greater flexibility and choice in how that leave is allocated. The coalition's approach is simple: trust families. Every single family is different, and it is parents—not politicians, not ideologues in this Canberra bubble—who know exactly what is best for their children. We believe paid parental leave must provide families with genuine support, flexibility and choice.

Families have vastly different work arrangements, financial circumstances and caring responsibilities. What works perfectly for a family in the inner city might be completely unworkable for a farming family in rural South Australia. We believe parents should have the absolute flexibility to decide how leave is shared within their household. Government should support family choices—not dictate family arrangements. The best people to decide how care is organised in the very first year of the life of a child are the parents themselves? This is not about declaring whether one significant arrangement is better than the other. It is about ensuring families have the freedom to choose the arrangements that work best for them. We say support families and trust families.

This brings me to the unique challenges faced by mothers in regional areas. Flexibility is not a buzzword for us; it is an absolute vital necessity. In regional Australia, parents do not always have the luxury of standard working hours or easily accessible support networks. Crucially, regional families desperately need better childcare options. We cannot talk about supporting mothers in the workforce without addressing the child care deserts that plague our regional communities. We need ongoing, targeted support for mothers in regional areas to ensure they have the same opportunities as those in the cities. As I say time and time again, the electorate of Grey has the lowest access to child care in the entire country.

A rigid approach to parental leave compounds the difficulties faced by regional families struggling for childcare options, yet, instead of offering flexibility, Labor repeatedly claims that families will receive six months of paid parental leave. What Labor conveniently fails to tell families is that, in a two-parent household, four weeks are completely reserved on a 'use it or lose it' basis. This means the primary carer can generally access a maximum of only 22 weeks, not the full 26 weeks that were promised. The remaining four weeks are locked away, reserved exclusively for the other parent. If those four weeks are not taken, the family outright loses access to that entitlement.

Furthermore, access to this reserved leave is inextricably linked to the broader eligibility of the family for paid parental leave. In practice, there are countless hardworking families who hear this government promising 26 weeks of paid parental leave but who will be completely unable to access the full entitlement because of the rigid, inflexible way this scheme is structured.

Labor continues to present this policy as a full six months of leave, but the reality is that many families will simply not have the flexibility to access 26 weeks in the way that best suits their unique circumstances. The coalition will present a comprehensive paid parental leave and family policy as we approach the next election. Our focus will remain squarely on providing regional and urban families alike with the flexible choices that they deserve. We will always trust parents completely.

Cassandra Fernando (Holt, Australian Labor Party) | Link to this | Hansard source

The time allotted for this debate has expired. The debate is adjourned and the resumption of the debate will be made an order of the day for the next sitting.