Carol Brown (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Families and Payments) Share this | Hansard source

Please do not say to mums in Tasmania, Senator Bushby, that you support taking money off them at that very special time. You have done nothing but support ripping money off Australian families. Money has been ripped off pensioners and money has been ripped off new families. You supported the schoolkids bonus being ripped down. This is a government that is in chaos. I do not know if you are part of the backbench doing the tax reform, but this is a government that is actually in chaos.

Australian women deserve to know what to expect. Women who are pregnant right now are living with uncertainty. They do not know if they will be able to access the existing scheme or will have support cut under the Turnbull scheme. Expecting mums are busy planning for the arrival of their newborn. They should not have to worry about whether they can afford to stay home to care for their child. What kind of Prime Minister rips $11,800 from the pockets of new mums? It might seem like small change to Mr Turnbull, but to young families it makes all the difference. Mr Turnbull needs to put an end to his war on working mums and drop these unfair cuts. This government is in chaos and new mums deserve certainty.

Senator Bushby interjecting—

All you have done, David, is rip money off Australian families. You should be ashamed of yourself. (Time expired)