Paid Parental Leave safe from wreckers

Families and business can rest assured Australia’s first national Paid Parental Leave scheme will not be wrecked by the Liberal-National Coalition.

I am pleased the House of Representatives today rejected the Member for Dunkley, Bruce Billson’s Private Members Bill which was designed solely to wreck Paid Parental Leave and strip away parent’s connection to the workforce while taking time off to have a baby.

The Government’s Paid Parental Leave scheme is based on the recommendations of the Productivity Commission.

The Productivity Commission recommended employers have a role in providing Government funded Paid Parental Leave because it would help business retain skilled staff and increase workforce participation.

Under the Government’s scheme parental leave pay is delivered as a workplace entitlement, just like sick leave or any other form of leave.

Australian families and businesses have embraced the Government’s Paid Parental Leave scheme, with more than 3,600 Australian parents already receiving payments. In addition, more than 2,800 businesses have already registered to take part in the scheme.

Australian families have been waiting decades for a national Paid Parental Leave scheme.

It took a Labor Government to deliver a Paid Parental Leave scheme that is fair to business and good for families.