PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS

Ms COKER (Corangamite) (11:56): This motion from the member for Bonner recognises something every parent knows: the first months of a child's life matter enormously. They matter for bonding, for recovery, for a child's development and for building a strong foundation for family life where a child feels secure, cared for and valued, where parents are present and able to nurture their precious little person without the stress of work and financial pressures.

This is why from 1 July, this Wednesday, another important milestone in Australia's Paid Parental Leave scheme comes into effect. Eligible families welcoming a new baby or adopting a child will be able to access up to 26 weeks of government funded paid parental leave—180 payable days—in flexible ways. Families accessing the full entitlement will receive almost $30,000 in support while spending those precious first months together.

This is more than double the entitlement that existed before the Albanese Labor government came into office. Just as importantly, parents receiving paid parental leave are now also receiving superannuation contributions, a landmark reform that recognises that caring for a child should never come at the expense of someone's retirement security. These reforms matter because caring responsibilities continue to fall disproportionately on women.

Women still retire with significantly less superannuation than men, largely because of time spent out of the paid workforce raising children and caring for family members. For too long, our system treated caring as though it was not of economic value. Even today there are some in this place who still don't recognise the value of caring.

The Albanese Labor government rejects this outdated thinking. We know raising children is not time away from contributing to our country; it is one of the most important contributions anyone can make. We back parents, we back carers and we back the increased wage for early childhood educators who help give children the very best start in life.

That's why paying superannuation on paid parental leave is such a landmark reform. It sends a simple but powerful message: caring has value. Our reforms are also helping families balance work and caring in ways that simply weren't possible before.

When parents can remain connected to the workforce, when women are better supported to return to work if and when they choose, and when families have greater financial security, our entire economy benefits. In my state of Victoria, almost 70,000 people use paid parental leave. That means tens of thousands of Victorian families will directly benefit from these latest improvements.

Across Australia, around 180,000 families benefit from Labor's expanded Paid Parental Leave scheme each year, and, since these reforms began, parents of more than 460,000 children have received greater financial support or more flexible leave arrangements. These reforms do not stand alone. From 1 July, millions of Australians will also benefit from increases to family payments, income thresholds and other supports that help families manage the cost of living.

Together these measures reflect a government committed to backing families at every stage of life. Of course, there is always more work to do. Supporting families means investing in affordable child care, strengthening early childhood education, expanding access to health care and ensuring parents have the flexibility they need to balance work and family life.

The Albanese government understands the value of these investments. It is worth remembering that paid parental leave was introduced by a Labor government, and it is this Labor government that has delivered its biggest expansion of this scheme since it began. While others in this place question the value of paid parental leave, Labor has consistently worked to strengthen it.

We understand that supporting families is an investment in our shared future—a future where there is hope, stability and opportunity. I thank the member for Bonner for bringing forward this motion, and I proudly support the Albanese Labor government's continued commitment to Australian families, to gender equality and to giving every child the best possible start in life.