Ms KING (2:25 PM) —My question is to the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs. How is the government supporting families to make their own work and family choices?

Ms MACKLIN (Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs) —I very much thank the member for Ballarat for her question, because on Tuesday this week 25,000 Australians delivered a very clear message to this parliament. Whether they were nurses, teachers, hospitality workers, construction workers, or students and their mums and dads and grandparents, they all signed a petition calling on each and every one of us—all of their elected representatives—to do the right thing and vote for Australia’s first paid parental leave scheme.

Australian families have been waiting decades for paid parental leave, and now legislation for Australia’s first paid parental leave scheme is in the final stages of passage through this parliament. When the bill passes, Australia will finally catch up with the rest of the developed world and deliver this vital support for families. Under our scheme, eligible families will receive 18 weeks of paid parental leave, paid at the federal minimum wage. It will start on 1 January next year. Of course, the scheme designed by the government is fully costed and fully funded in the budget. It is fair to both businesses and families. This will be a huge win for Australian families. Parents will finally get the support that they need to stay home with their newborn babies. Of course, it means that children will get a better start in life.

Businesses too will benefit. They will be able to retain their skilled workers and we will see particular advantages for seasonal workers, casual workers, contract workers and the self-employed. They will now get access to paid parental leave. For many of them it will be for the first time.

One of the particular advantages of the government scheme is that families will have support to make their own work and family choices. Under our scheme parents will be able to transfer the leave so that mums and dads will have more options for balancing their work and family lives, because on this side of the chamber we recognise that in today’s families more and more dads want to be more hands-on at home. This is a historic reform. It has been a very long time coming, and it is this government that is going to deliver Australia’s first paid parental leave scheme.