The Coalition's proposed cut to paid parental leave is "not acceptable," Palmer United's Zhenya 'Dio' Wang says, in a further blow to the Coalition's chances of getting the new policy through the Senate.
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The Abbott government's plan to change parental leave entitlements to about 80,000 new mothers faces a rocky ride through the Parliament. With Labor and the Greens strongly opposed to the $1 billion paid parental leave cut, the government needs six of the eight Senate crossbenchers to pass its new parental leave bill.
The government currently can factor in two of those six votes, with Liberal Democrat senator David Leyonhjelm and Family First's Bob Day indicating their support. Other crossbenchers, such as independents Jacqui Lambie, John Madigan and Nick Xenophon have flagged reservations, while Motoring Enthusiast Ricky Muir and independent Glenn Lazarus are yet to confirm a position.
Senator Wang has now clearly stated his opposition to the PPL changes - which would see women unable to access both a government and employer scheme.
"It's up to the employers and employees to negotiate their own remuneration packages, including maternity leave," he said. "Employers may have to be generous to be able to retain talented women. Women are more likely to return to work if they feel their efforts are truly valued by employers.
"If the government wants to keep women in the workforce, the ability of making such arrangements should not be discouraged.
South Australian Senator Xenophon said his support for the scheme was dependant on how the government's proposed changes to childcare would affect parents.
"You can't consider one measure without looking at its interaction with other measures," he said, explaining he wanted to understand more about the impact of the proposed changes to childcare.
Victorian Senator Madigan also told Fairfax Media that while the new PPL policy was an "improvement on [the Coalition's] previous policy," he was still concerned that parents who stay at home to look after their children were being "forgotten".
"All mothers are working mothers," he said.
Senator Lazarus's office did not respond when asked for his position on the changes, although he has previously been reported as opposing the cuts to paid parental leave.
The paid parental leave changes are not due to be introduced to Parliament until the spring sitting, which starts in August.
Social Services Minister Scott Morrison said that negotiations with the crossbench on budget measures were "continuing" and that the government was listening to issues they raised.
"While the government had not anticipated receiving support from PUP on this measure, we remain engaged in private discussions with other crossbenchers," Mr Morrison said on Sunday.
"It is not uncommon for commentary, including in the media, to speculate on the fate of legislation well before these matters have been fully considered.
"The government will continue to discuss these matters in good faith, be patient and listen to issues raised by the crossbench."
Currently all women get 18 weeks of paid parental leave at the minimum wage, which is worth $11,500. The Coalition wants to stop women accessing both the government scheme and their employer's, if one exists. It has described the government scheme as a "safety net".
"It needs to be a fair scheme," Mr Morrison said last month.
"It needs to be a scheme which doesn't allow double payments for the same time spent at home with children."
