For those of us forced to live with it, Labor鈥檚 first budget since 2013 is both a missed opportunity and a threat of worse things to come, argues聽Graham Matthews.
paid parental leave
Women鈥檚 rights activists called for an end to family violence, saying 鈥淓nough is enough鈥, at International Women鈥檚 Day on March 8. Chloe de Silva reports.
After his resounding success in the immigration portfolio 鈥 in which international treaty obligations were trashed, human rights trammelled, and asylum seekers fleeing from persecution were greeted with perverse punishment 鈥 Scott Morrison was promoted to minister for social services where he wasted no time attacking the unemployed, the disabled and aged pensioners.
It seemed impossible to go any lower. But if anyone was going to manage it, it was the minister whose arrogance is outweighed only by his ambition to be prime minister.
Now it is expectant mothers he is trying to vilify.
Joe Hockey may have been hoping that his spin about a "dull" budget would lull the public into a stupor, but the budget is anything but dull if you're a woman, a parent, pregnant, a student, a pensioner, on welfare, need legal aid or are unemployed.
The government faced significant, organised, public opposition to its 2014 budget measures, many of which failed to pass in the Senate. It was forced to back down on a number of policies, however it is under increasing economic pressure to get its neoliberal agenda through.
New mothers will be pushed to return to work sooner and non-working families will be punished by having childcare subsidies reduced in the government鈥檚 latest budget.
Treasurer Joe Hockey chose Mother's Day on May 10 to announce that almost 80,000 women will have their existing paid parental leave slashed, saving $1 billion.
At the moment the government provides 18 weeks of paid parental leave at the minimum wage of $600 a week.
There are two different visions for paid parental leave (PPL) 鈥 one put forward by the federal Labor government and the other by Liberal leader Tony Abbott.
Abbott鈥檚 proposal is seemingly not supported by industry or 91自拍论坛 of the Coalition. It would provide 26 weeks鈥 full salary to mothers earning up to $150,000 a year. Partners could opt to be primary carer if they accept payment according to the mother鈥檚 replacement wage of up to $75,000.