QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE
Ms PLIBERSEK (Sydney—Minister for Social Services) (14:58): I want to thank the marvellous member for Bass for her question. I know that she is a great supporter of paid parental leave because of the terrific use her constituents have made of it. Before the Rudd and Gillard governments, Australia was one of the very few advanced economies that didn't have a paid parental leave scheme.
Labor introduced paid parental leave, and Labor continues to build on and expand paid parental leave. People who use paid parental leave will get more time. From 1 July this year, we're going to the full six months of paid parental leave.
They'll get more money. We've been increasing the amount that they receive, and, thanks to yesterday's minimum wage announcement, families will now receive almost $30,000 across their paid parental leave. They're almost $16,000 better off since just August 2022 with the election of the Albanese Labor government.
Families will also receive more flexibility. Parents will be able to take more time off together, and more people will be eligible as the thresholds continue to increase. Around 180,000 families every year are benefiting, and, when they get back to work, mums and dads will find cheaper child care as well.
Those opposite have always been deeply divided about supporting hardworking Australians. We had former treasurer Joe Hockey saying that mums were double dippers. He said that on Mother's Day, you'll remember.
Former prime minister Scott Morrison called them rorters. The member for Goldstein said: 'It's not my choice that women have children. It's genetic.' Now, the Leader of the Opposition wants to strip paid parental leave from hardworking Australian families who are permanent residents.
At the last election I met a lovely family in Parramatta. The mum was a junior doctor at a hospital. The dad had a small business.
They'd migrated from India. They were permanent residents. They were on track for citizenship.
I don't know why the Leader of the Opposition thinks this family doesn't deserve to benefit from paid parental leave after six years of paying taxes. They're not on a unity ticket on this. They're not on a unity ticket.
Senator Andrew McLachlan says, 'There does not appear to be any clear reasoning why hardworking, taxpaying noncitizens should be treated differently.' It's up to the Leader of the Opposition to explain why he thinks they should be. On this side of the House, we are very clear: cheaper child care, higher wages and lower taxes for working mums, flexibility at work, a lower gender pay gap.
And we're for more and better paid parental leave.