Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) | Hansard source

I thank Senator Whiteaker for the question. It's an important one around the increase to paid parental leave and the fact that, in a week's time, the Paid Parental Leave scheme will reach a full 26 weeks of providing support to families and those caring for new babies whilst they are out of the workforce.

From 1 July, eligible families will be able to access 26 weeks of PPL backed by the government. With Labor's changes, families will receive almost $30,000 across their paid parental leave period, including super. I think it was the final employment entitlement that didn't have superannuation paid on it. We on this side of the chamber have fixed that. Parents of more than 460,000 children have already benefited from our changes to PPL. Every single year those changes will benefit around 180,000 families.

Our changes mean more time. Parents who are welcoming a new baby or adopting a child will have six months of PPL, giving families more precious time at home with their newest family member. They also mean more money. Parents accessing PPL from 1 July will receive more than double what they would have received before Labor came to government. Under our expanded scheme, parents will be about $15,692 better off than they were before we came to government. There is more support for sharing care because we know the dads or the second parent want to make sure that they are able to spend time with their children, and they should be supported by the scheme's design. More people are eligible, with the annual income limits for paid parental leave also rising. PPL is a Labor legacy, and we are proud to build this, expand on it and deliver it for Australian families.