Paid Parental Leave Amendment (Adding Superannuation for a More Secure Retirement) Bill 2024

The majority voted against an amendment to the usual second reading motion, which is "that the bill be read a second time" (parliamentary jargon for agreeing with the main idea of the bill). The amendment was introduced by Deakin MP Michael Sukkar (Liberal).

Amendment text

That all words after "That" be omitted with a view to substituting the following words: "whilst not declining to give the bill a second reading, the House:

(1) notes:

(a) the Coalition's strong record supporting government funded paid parental leave in Australia;

(b) at the 2010 and 2013 federal elections, the Coalition's paid parental leave policy sought to deliver 26 weeks' paid parental leave based on actual wage and included superannuation; and

(c) both Labor and the Greens opposed the Coalition's paid parental leave policy; and

(2) calls on the Government to amend the Paid Parental Leave Act to provide choice to Australian families by giving eligible PPL recipients the option of:

(a) receiving superannuation on the government funded paid parental leave payment; or

(b) receiving 26 weeks of paid parental leave from 1 July 2025, increasing to 28 weeks from 1 July 2026; or

(c) receiving a one-off payment equal to the value of the superannuation amount to help with costs associated with the arrival of a newborn or adopted child".