'IMAGINARY RAMBLINGS ' FROM A LOST LABOR GOVERNMENT
02-December-2010
The Federal Coalition today dismissed comments from the Minister for Families, Jenny Macklin, alleging the Opposition was trying to wreck historic social change for women as “imaginary ramblings”.
Louise Markus, Federal Member for Macquarie said statements from a Ministerial Press Release which suggest a Private Member's Bill from the Opposition would delay the start of new Paid Parental Leave (PPL) arrangements were deliberately mischievous and distorted the facts.
From January 1, new parents are entitled to the first government-funded parental leave, of 18 weeks at the minimum wage. For six months, The Family Assistance Office will make the payment to parents, but from July most employers will be expected to collect the money and pass it on to staff.
“Any suggestion the Coalition is seeking to hold up the Government’s PPL scheme is a nonsense and the Minister is simply trying to deflect attention from her own parties’ shortcomings”.
The Bill, that has been introduced to Parliament by the Shadow Minister for Small Business, Bruce Billson, seeks to remove unnecessary administrative burdens imposed on businesses by the Government’s insistence that employers act as paymasters for the scheme from July next year.
“If our Bill is successful, the Family Assistance Office will continue to pay PPL entitlements direct to eligible parents, rather than have the employer act as ‘paymaster’.
“Our Bill will untangle Labor’s poorly thought out plan and ensure continuity to those mothers receiving payment”.
“If anybody is promoting confusion on this issue, it is Jenny Macklin, and she should accept credit where credit is due,” concluded Louise Markus.