Mr REPACHOLI (Hunter) (17:01):
When there's something that makes this country the best place on earth to live, it's usually the Labor government who's responsible for implementing it, and paid parental leave is yet another example of this. We implemented it, and now we're strengthening it. As the dad of two amazing girls, Zoe and Asha, I know how valuable time with your newborn is. It's important for parents, and it's important for the baby as well. Bringing your newborn child home is one of the most amazing days of your life. But it's no secret that, from this point on, life gets harder. This is especially the case for those who have just gone through nine months of pregnancy, followed by labour. No-one in their right mind can expect a new mother not to take time off. But, when you take time off for a child, you still need money to keep coming in. Kids drain our bank accounts enough without our needing time off work.
This is where paid parental leave kicks in and really makes a difference. It means you don't need to choose between having a child and going to work. Paid parental leave is truly life changing for so many parents around the country. Twenty-two weeks away from work is invaluable time for new parents—and don't we all know they deserve it! But, as we all know, sometimes this just is not long enough. When the Paid Parental Leave scheme was first introduced by a Labor government back in 2011, it was a massive help to so many parents. But the needs of parents change over time, and the scheme needs to adapt to be able to effectively deliver for the needs of those who rely on it in 2025. This is why it's good that the government has increased paid parental leave by two weeks, bringing the amount of parental leave a new parent can take from 22 weeks to 24 weeks. It's fantastic that paid parental leave means that mothers can take the time they need to be with their child when they're needed most, without having to sacrifice their pay.
But the system wasn't perfect, because, while you continue to get paid, in the long run mothers were being left worse off. The money that you take home at the end of each week is only one of the financial benefits of being in the workforce. The other major plus of having a job is to be paid super, another Labor government policy. Super means that, when you retire, you're better off and less likely to rely on the government to survive. But, unfortunately, for too long it has been the case that, when a parent is off work on paid parental leave, their superannuation does not continue to accumulate, meaning that there is about half a year's worth of lost superannuation just because you decide to have a baby, even if it is only one baby. In the big picture, this might not sound like a lot, but, when you take into consideration the lost return on this money and the possibility of having more than one child, it quickly adds up. But it is no longer an issue, because superannuation has now been added to the government's paid parental leave, which means that taking paid parental leave will not mean missing out on super. This is a win for parents, and particularly for mothers, because the time that mothers are out of the workforce to bring children into this world should not leave them worse off when it comes to them retiring.
In May, Australians made their voice loud and clear: they want a government who builds on this country's future. They voted for a government who will put people first, and that's exactly what these changes to paid parental leave deliver. We've taken life-changing, nation-building policy and made it even better, to make sure that parents are better supported to take more time off with their newborn and don't have to sacrifice their super by bringing a child into this world. The reforms to the government Paid Parental Leave scheme have proven to be good for parents, good for kids, good for employers and good for our economy. This is a win for all. These are the kinds of life-changing policy that we will continue to deliver for Australians so that we are delivering the better future that Australians voted for.
