Abbott team question his judgement on Paid Parental Leave scheme
Jenny Macklin
posted Friday, 6 August 2010
Tony Abbott’s own Liberal team are now questioning his judgement and the validity of his paid parental leave scheme.
Today The Australian reveals that Mr Abbott MPs and his own front bench believe the scheme is unfair and discriminatory.
His judgement was so lacking that he never costed the policy, or took it to his own party room before he announced it in March.
This is all at the same time that Tony Abbott is also trying to sneak in more changes to his unfair plan without proper scrutiny.
Mr Abbott’s paid parental leave scheme is unravelling with every passing day.
Last week, Mr Abbott was caught out misleading Australian families when it was discovered that under his scheme dads caring for a baby at home will receive the equivalent of the mother’s wage, not their own wage.
Now Mr Abbott has been found out sneakily trying to claw back two weeks’ leave from mums caring for a baby at home if dads opt to take two weeks’ paternity leave.
Mr Abbott’s paid parental leave policy document released this week says:
“two out of the 26 weeks to be dedicated paternity leave to be used simultaneously or separately to the mother’s leave, paid at the father’s replacement wage (up to a maximum of $150,000 per annum) or the Federal Minimum Wage…” (The Coalition’s Real Action Plan for Paid Parental Leave).
This is a direct contradiction to the Coalition’s commitment on 27 May 2010:
“The Coalition’s scheme offers income replacement, superannuation, six months of leave and two weeks leave for fathers” (Coalition’s Media Release, 27 May 2010)
This revelation will leave Australian families confused and uncertain as they try to keep up with Mr Abbott’s sneaky changes to his unfair scheme.
It has come to light as a deep split has opened up between the Liberals and the Nationals on the scheme.
Mr Abbott’s unfair paid parental leave sham scheme is a triple whammy for regional Australia – the new tax will hit local businesses; it will mean higher prices at the supermarket for families and pensioners; and it would provide high income earners living in cities with up to $75,000 and hairdressers, cashiers and hospitality workers much less.
Mr Abbott cannot be trusted on paid parental leave. Tony Abbott does not have the judgement to be Prime Minister of Australia.
For 12 years, the former Liberal-National Coalition Government refused to deliver paid parental leave, and Tony Abbott said that paid parental leave would only happen “over this Government's dead body” (22 July 2002, ABC AM).
The Gillard Labor Government is delivering Australia’s first Paid Parental Leave Scheme from 1 January 2011.
Our Scheme is fair and responsible and will benefit regional Australia.
Families who have a baby on or after 1 January next year will receive up to 18 weeks parental leave pay, at the National Minimum Wage (currently $570 per week before tax).
Under the Gillard Labor Government’s fair Paid Parental Leave scheme all parents receive the same support, and mums and dads can choose how to share the leave between them.
Tags: Abbott, Leave, Liberals, Nationals, Paid, Parental, split, Tony