PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS

Ms TEESDALE (Bass) (11:36): 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.