THANK YOU TONY for BRINGING MY FRAUDULENT DOUBLE-DIPPING DAYS to an END Tony Abbott Cuts Paid Parental Leave Entitlements for 47% of New Mothers
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THANK YOU TONY FOR BRINGING MY FRAUDULENT DOUBLE-DIPPING DAYS TO AN END Tony Abbott cuts paid parental leave entitlements for 47% of new mothers What you need to know about the Abbott Government’s proposed changes to Paid Parental Leave Delivering the “Mother of All Insults” on Mother’s Day, Treasurer Joe Hockey and Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced they would take up to $11,500 from nearly 80,000 Australian families. What has happened so far. Did the government really call The Gillard Government introduced 18 weeks of Paid thousands of Australian women Parental Leave at minimum wage in 2011. “double-dippers”, “frauds” and During this time Tony Abbott said Paid Parental Leave would only happen “over his dead body”. “rorters”? Then he promised a rolled gold $20 billion scheme that Yes. would give wealthy women $75,000. When delivering the “Mother of All Insults” on Then dumped it. Mother’s Day, Treasurer Joe Hockey said people who accessed both were “double-dipping”. 2 In what is becoming a usual mode of operation, Tony Abbott went to the electorate promising the world, Not satisfied, Joe Hockey later asserted that families dropped that and left new mums with less than what who accessed both employer and the government 3 they started with. payments were committing fraud. Not one to be left behind, Liberal Social Services How many families will be worse off? Minister Scott Morrison told Sky News that he thought receiving universal Paid Parental Leave from Nearly 80,000 new mothers will be prevented from the government, as well as hard earned entitlements accessing the $11,500 available under the current from an employer was a “rort”. 4 universal Paid Parental Leave scheme because they have collectively negotiated workplace schemes. 2: http://www.smh.com.au/business/federal-budget/federal-budget-2015- This is nearly half of all currently eligible women (47%).1 almost-50-per-cent-of-mums-to-lose-government-paid-parental-leave-enti- tlements-20150510-ggy8xq.html 1: http://www.themandarin.com.au/33549-cuts-ps-parental-leave-may-drive- 3: http://www.joehockey.com/media/transcripts/details.aspx?s=773 bargaining-demands/?pgnc=1 4: http://scottmorrison.dss.gov.au/transcripts/sky-news-pm-agenda-2 Unsurprisingly, “rorters”, “fraudsters” and were won by the collective effort and sacrifice of “double dippers” have been found within the workers over the last 30 years. 6 Liberal-National ranks with Finance Minister Mathias Cormann and Assistant Treasurer Josh The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Frydenberg both being outed as “double-dippers” Industry has already warned that employers who have recently accessed both schemes and would respond by getting rid of their own saw no problem with it at the time. schemes, denying the government the $1 billion in savings it anticipates. Using the system as it was When employers drop their schemes, leaving only the government scheme to depend on, the intended. superannuation gap will only widen (which already Women who have accessed both the Government sits at 64% to 36%)— at a time when the Abbott PPL and employer-funded workplace schemes are government continues to put more and more not double dipping, committing fraud or rorting. pressure on people in their retirement. They are, in fact, using PPL as it was originally intended. How can you help? First, sign our petition on the Stand for “The financial support provided by this Act is Queensland website. intended to complement and supplement existing entitlements to paid or unpaid leave in connection www.standforqld.com.au/ppl with the birth or adoption of a child.” (Paid Parental Leave Act 2010)5 On that page you will also find some resources you can use to highlight this important issue with It is not a replacement for paid parental your friends, family and colleagues including: leave — for instance it does not contribute to superannuation. • a workplace poster; The purpose of the scheme and its 18 weeks • a downloadable version of this fact sheet; at minimum wage is to allow as many women • a postcard; and as possible to give their children the 26 weeks necessary for proper bonding, breast-feeding and • a hard copy of the petition you can use to rearing as recommended by the World Health collect signatures. Organisation. Resources are available to help you : The truth is, Australian women are not “double- dipping” but they are being “double crossed” by • visit your local, federal MP; a government that has an ever growing list of • write letters to the editor; and broken promises. • advocate in your local community. What will happen if the Abbott Government succeeds? The first thing that will happen is that nearly 80,000 Australian families will miss out on their proper entitlements. The second thing to happen is that employers across the country, and en masse , will respond to these new restrictions by dumping many of their own schemes that 6 http://www.afr.com/news/policy/budget/bud- 5: Section 3A (1B) (3) “Objects of this Act” - Paid Parental Leave Act get-2015-employers-will-dump-parental-leave- 2010 business-leaders-say-20150512-ggyq2d Authorised R Monaghan General Secretary Queensland Council of Unions Peel Street South Brisbane Q 4101 .