Ms MACKLIN (5:40 PM) —It has been an extraordinary performance by the government today—a government that talk a lot about work and family but then go to extraordinary lengths in the parliament to avoid being questioned about their third-term record on work and family. I have never seen anything like it by a government. In fact, it seems a bit like the tables have been turned: we have an opposition out there setting out clear policies that are great for families, and a government that only want to play politics with national security. Things just are not what they should be.

I do not think that anyone would be surprised if the government's record did not stand up to any scrutiny—it certainly would not have stood up to scrutiny in question time—because, of course, they have no record. We have a lot of words from the Prime Minister—one minute he is in favour of paid maternity leave, the next minute he is not—but, of course, absolutely no action.

What a contrast with what Labor has presented today. Labor has presented, for the first time ever in Australia, a baby care payment for all Australian women who meet the means test. For the first time in Australia, Australian women will get the financial support that they really need when they have their babies. This is an extraordinarily exciting day for all the mothers who, for years, have been looking for a political party prepared to recognise the enormous financial pressure that young families face and the need for mothers to be able to take time off work, recover from childbirth and be with their babies.

We also know that more and more families are under enormous financial pressure and especially so when they have a new baby. At last, if a Labor government is elected, there will be substantial financial assistance for all women: women who are working, women who are at home and women who move in and out of the work force. Women who need help when their babies are born will get it from a Labor government—but nothing, of course, from the other side.

Labor's baby care payment makes no distinction between mothers in the work force and mothers who are at home. We know that mothers move constantly these days between the work force and home. We know that policies that try to categorise women as either mothers at home or mothers in the work force are not helpful.

Mr Zahra —It is not real life.

Ms MACKLIN —That is exactly right. It is not real life. It will not be a surprise to anyone here that this government wants to have everyone conform to John Howard's 1950s idea of a family: one model of a family, where the mother is at home and the dad is at work. But of course that is not the way things are anymore. We know that families are under enormous pressure, especially at the time when their lives are so turned upside down by the arrival of a newborn baby. Everybody knows, even the government itself knows, that the government's last effort to do something about newborn babies—the failed baby bonus—was an enormous flop. We also know the enormous pressure the government's family payment system is putting on families, clawing back the payments they get and penalising mothers who do move in and out of the work force. By contrast, Labor's baby care payment is for all families. There are no penalties for moving in and out of the work force—and nor should there be. There should not be any penalties for different types of families.

I have to say that just about every mum I know wants to spend as much time as she possibly can with her baby when the baby is very small. Mums do not want to have to rush back to work before they have recovered their own health and before their baby has developed some sound sleeping and feeding routines. I imagine there are a few new mums here in the parliament tonight who would agree with that.

Opposition members interjecting—

Mr Latham —And dads.

Ms MACKLIN —Dads are obviously having trouble as well dealing with new sleeping routines. We want to make sure that all women are able to have this very special time with their baby. This should not be just for those who have managed to negotiate employer funded paid maternity leave. We know that more than 60 per cent of Australian women have no access to employer funded paid maternity leave, and we want to change that. The women who do not have access to employer funded paid maternity leave work on the factory floors, in cafes or as cleaners, hairdressers, receptionists, shop assistants—and so it goes on. The likelihood of those women who are in low-paid and casual jobs ever getting access to decent paid maternity leave without a Labor government is very slim indeed. Just like everybody else, they deserve to spend those very precious first few months with their babies and not face serious financial pressures. Those women deserve Labor's baby care payment. All these women will of course be treated equally under Labor's baby care payment. It is a very simple payment, and it is fair—unlike the baby bonus, where the more you have, the more you get. That is, of course, this government's approach in life.

As I said, this is a milestone for Australian women—a great day for Australian mothers—because Labor's baby care payment will deliver our commitment to give Australian mothers 14 weeks of paid maternity leave. This is for all mothers, whether they are working or not working. From 1 July 2005, our simple and easy to access baby care payment will give mothers $429 a fortnight for 14 weeks, tax free. That is $3,000, tax free, on the birth of their child. That payment is going to be phased in over five years, delivering the equivalent of 14 weeks pay for people on the federal minimum wage after tax by 2010. So by 2010, when they have a baby, mothers, whether they are in the work force or at home, will be able to get a payment that is the equivalent of the federal minimum wage after tax—a wonderful achievement for Australian women. When that payment is fully implemented, that will mean it reaches $5,380. It is a payment that recognises the important need to support families when their babies come along.

To maintain the value of the payment—we also know how important that is—we will index the payment to make sure that it keeps up with movements in the federal minimum wage. We will give families the option to take the payment either over 14 weeks or over a longer period of time. If families want to take it over 12 months then they will be able to do so. To make sure it is fair, we have means tested the payment according to the family tax benefit A rate. That means that all families with incomes up to $85,702 will get the full payment and then the payment will be phased out using the same phase-out as the family tax benefit part A rate has, because we want to make sure families get assistance based on need.

Family income will be assessed at the time of birth. We do not want any of the mess that is associated with this government's family payment system, which is seeing so many difficulties imposed on families because of the way in which families organise their lives these days—going in and out of the work force, sometimes working more hours and sometimes fewer hours. We do not want any of that affecting our baby care payment, so we will assess the family's income at the time of the child's birth. The payment will be very easy to apply for, will be tax free and will assist parents, who need to plan financially for that critical first year of a baby's life.

By contrast, we know some of the details about the problems with the government's baby bonus scheme. In fact, 90 per cent of the mothers who qualified for the government's baby bonus received less than $500. Under this government, 90 per cent of mothers got less than $500. Under the Labor Party's plan for a baby care payment, 90 per cent of mothers will get $3,000 in the first year. What an enormous difference with a future Labor government, who will really give enormous support to families when they really need it.

We have had the usual effort from the Treasurer, who has gone out this afternoon to find a hole in our costings—and a pretty poor effort it was on his behalf, I must say. He has tried to say that the savings from the phase-out of the baby bonus are not what we have said they are. I want to say to the Treasurer that the opposition is of course entitled to claim the amounts listed in the forward estimates of the Treasurer's own budget papers for what the government itself expects to spend on the baby bonus. But—surprise, surprise!—the government is not publishing the next two years estimates for the baby bonus.

Mr Latham —Why not?

Ms MACKLIN —I wonder why that would be? I think it might be because the baby bonus is a complete and utter flop and the government does not want to let on that it is a total flop. Either it is a flop or it may be the case that the baby bonus is dead and nobody has been game enough to own up and tell the people who have so far been getting the baby bonus. I want to read into the Hansard a letter from Professor Peter McDonald, who actually checked the costings of Labor's baby bonus savings. I think this should put to rest any efforts by the Treasurer to make these claims. Peter McDonald said in his letter to me just recently:

Finally, and most importantly, he said:

That should put to bed any further efforts by the Treasurer. I suggest to the Treasurer that he actually get serious about making policies that might help Australian families rather than playing politics.

We know that this Prime Minister's own work and family task force have criticised their own baby bonus because, as their own document said, the baby bonus assistance was not `well timed'. They suggested it be redesigned so that it mimics the effect of a paid maternity leave scheme. The government has had this advice from its own task force for some time. What has it done? Absolutely nothing. We know that the Prime Minister went out before the election in October 2001 and said that elections were not just about the record of government, they were about how well we balanced work and family life. He said that it was so important to millions of Australians and that it was going to be the biggest social debate of our time—a barbecue-stopper. How many times have we heard that expression?

We know that the Prime Minister has not delivered anything in relation to making sure that families get the assistance when they need it. The government have no solutions whatsoever to this very tough time in families' lives. What Australian families need is Labor's baby care payment. At last we have a government in waiting—a future Labor government—that knows how to support families when they really want that support. We know that no two families are the same. We know that it is very important to acknowledge that, even though no two families are the same, each and every one of those families needs financial support on that great occasion when a new baby comes into the family. We all know that the government's policies are not doing that. Labor is saying to the government: `Get out of the way, because you clearly do not have any policies that are going to support families when they need it.' It is time that all families got a helping hand from a future Labor government at the time when their baby is born. This is why families need Labor's baby care payment—a payment that will make all the difference to new families when their baby comes along. We look forward to having the opportunity to implement it. (Time expired)