THE HON AMANDA RISHWORTH MP, MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SERVICES: Well, it's been really wonderful this morning to be here, having a great play with some new babies and parents and it's been wonderful to be joined also by Minister Gallagher and of course, Steph, Kurt, and little Billy. Because we know that the arrival of a new baby can be sometimes a very exciting but also stressful occasion. We know that many parents need to take a step back from paid work, and that's why our expansion of Paid Parental Leave to 22 weeks, increasing to 26 weeks, is so important. Because it not only gives parents the opportunity to take a step back from their paid work, but it also gives them important financial support to help with the costs that come along with a new baby. With the expansion of our paid parental leave and the increase that happens on 1 July, new parents will be able to share in over $20,000 to support them at the time of a newborn baby. Of course, later this year, we're also going to legislate superannuation on that government Paid Parental Leave. So, this is significantly important and it's wonderful to be joined by some expectant parents who are actually going to benefit, but also parents here that know just how important this is. Of course, The Parenthood and also Playgroups ACT play such a critical role in supporting parents and our government has not just invested in Paid Parental Leave, but also in a range of other measures including cheaper childcare, but also in the infrastructure that parents need. As a result of our investment, we've seen over 300 new play groups pop up around the country to support parents in those early moments of parenthood. And these play groups play such an important role – a social connection, a place to get advice, and also meet with other parents. So, I'm very proud that our government has made families and children a real focus. Of course, in addition, we've got our Early Years Strategy, which really places an emphasis on how important the first five years of life is. And we will continue to work with people around the country to develop the action plans that go along with it. But today is a really important day. It's really wonderful to be joined with all these families and I’ll now pass back to Senator Gallagher to add some comments.
SENATOR THE HON KATY GALLAGHER, MINISTER FOR FINANCE: Thanks, Amanda. And it's wonderful to be here. I have to say this is the best the main committee room has ever looked to me. Full of babies and toys and parents. It's wonderful to be here and this is really what being in politics is all about, when you can make policies and deliver programs that support families. And in particular, with my portfolio, support women to have a few more choices when it comes to, you know, career and how you manage that crazy work-life balance that all of us have experienced. So, this is part of our focus on women, making sure men can step up and be part of that caring responsibilities, making it flexible, things like PPL but also paying super on PPL, which will make a difference to women's retirement income. So, it's great to be here with the families to see all of the, I guess, the results of some of the work we do and all of Amanda's leadership, particularly in the area of playgroups and enriching children's lives, but over to the stars of the show.
STEPH, ACT MUM: The increase to the Paid Parental Leave is amazing. We are so lucky in this country to have these things that we have in place. And when Billy was born, we got some time off, which – I read stories in other countries about women having to send their children when they don't want to to daycare, and the heartbreak that women have to go through. We're just so lucky and the fact that this has been increased, it's amazing. If we have a second, it will just help us exponentially. And the fact that we can share the leave with my husband, I mean that’s so wonderful as well, so dad doesn’t miss out. Dads are just as important as mums, and so it's nice that we can share this together this week. Isn’t it Billy? Yes! Yeah, so thank you.
JOURNALIST: A question for either of you. We’re here with parents who will eventually have kids on social media. Could you tell us a bit about this six-month deadline by the eSafety Commissioner given to social media giants to protect kids from explicit content online?
RISHWORTH: Well look, I think we've been very clear as a government that we have concerns about the impact that social media has on children's lives. And so, you would have seen a range of announcements our government has made, including, importantly, the launch of Stop It At The Start, which is looking at tackling and helping parents and other adult influences have conversations with their children, as well as our commitment around age assurance. But the eSafety Commissioner has been very clear in her demands. And we expect social media companies to adhere by it.
JOURNALIST: And as Finance Minister, what do you think an appropriate fine would be if they don’t comply with these codes?
GALLAGHER: Well, I mean, I'm not sure that that relates to the Finance portfolio, but look, there has to be consequences. And you know, we'll work with the eSafety Commissioner. She really has been extraordinary in leading in this area in really taking it up to these very powerful companies. But as the Prime Minister often says, this is probably the biggest issue parents raise with you when you're out and about talking, is the effect that social media is having. So, you know, impacting on their families, on their children's mental wellbeing health. And so it's something I think that's going to continue to evolve and you know penalties obviously will be considered as part of the policy response. You know, the age verification trial that will be underway under Michelle Rowland’s leadership, I think, will help explore some of how you would actually go about this and penalties and all of those other consequences will be looked at as part of that.
JOURNALIST: Senator, what’s your response to claims from Senator Payman that she’s being intimidated by her colleagues into quitting the Labor Party?
GALLAGHER: Look, that’s not my experience. And I know pretty closely how hard everyone has tried to support Senator Payman. You know, we recognize on the issue of the Middle East how difficult it is probably for every caucus member, for every person across the community. Nobody wants to see this war continue. And so we have wrapped our arms around her and tried to support her. So, I don't agree with the comments in her statement yesterday because that is not the experience I've had individually or that I'm aware of with others over the past month or so.
JOURNALIST: What have you done to support her this week?
GALLAGHER: Well, I've been in as much contact as I can. I've asked her to come and speak with me. I've offered to have a cup of tea with her. It's been a range of ways, and I'm not the only one. There's a lot of us doing that.
JOURNALIST: And yourself Minister, what have you done to support Senator Payman?
RISHWORTH: Oh, well, look, my Senate colleagues have been actively supporting Senator Payman. It's right that my Senate colleagues are working to support her, and I support them in doing that.
JOURNALIST: What about this push from Muslim community groups to target safe Labor seats, particularly in Western Sydney, because of all of this. Are you worried that this controversy is going to cost Labor at the next election?
GALLAGHER: I think this is out of our control, in some respects. These are decisions that Senator Payman has made. I know under the leadership of the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister, our position on recognising Palestine has shifted considerably, including through votes we've exercised at the United Nations. But we haven't come at this from an electoral point of view. I mean, this is a challenging issue for everyone across the community. We have a democratic system here, people are able to stand for election and campaign for elections, and that's a really good thing too. And we will campaign as you would expect a government to campaign, really with a focus on the things that matter to people, which are predominantly cost of living. You know, how do they make ends meet, what's happening you know with their pay, their bills, and that's why, you know, tax cuts, energy bill relief, all those measures have been so important.
JOURALIST: When we're talking about campaigning. There's reports in the AFR this morning that the Prime Minister's freeing up funds for election priorities now. Is this going to affect your policymaking, slow down processes, now that the PM is going to have to sign off on everything, and are you really gearing up for an early election?
GALLAGHER: Well, the PM has been clear, I mean the election’s due in the next 12 months. And he believes you know that three-year terms are too short, so I would expect us to go full term. And on the issue of the Budget, I read that piece in the AFR today as well. The PM has always exercised that direction through our budget process. And I think from my point of view, I'm really pleased that we've got a process which, you know, after everything we've done in the last two years, focuses on implementing all those decisions and then looking at what more we can do. But limiting that into, you know, how do we provide cost of living. So, I read that article and look, from my point of view, there hasn't been a change in process. This is the way the Budget has been run. The Prime Minister obviously exercises that ultimate control, but we are focused on making sure we can continue looking at cost-of-living support.
JOURNALIST: Just on the Paid Parental Leave and also adding super to it in time. When it comes to small businesses, a lot of the issue that they have with some of these things is the process to get them through and that takes a lot of time out of their days. What kind of – is this being simplified for small businesses, or what’s the approach?
RISHWORTH: So firstly, when it comes to Paid Parental Leave, small businesses play an incredibly important role. And even under the exemptions that do exist for small business, there is many, many small businesses that opt-in because they want to deliver Paid Parental Leave to their employees. So, in terms of the commitment the government's made to work with small business, we will continue to do that and to ensure that it's as simple as possible. When it comes to superannuation, it's a very easy process. The superannuation that is accrued for a person will be automatically transferred into their super account and there won't be any extra administrative burden on any employer. But I think what's really important in this is that, in our country, paid parental leave is often a dual contribution made by the government, but also employers. Many, I think it's over 60 per cent of employers, are co-contributing to Paid Parental Leave. And so to be able to administer that simply for families is critically important. I would encourage more employers to look at how they might top-up or offer more paid parental leave and to support their staff that are having time off to have babies. But this is a critically important part of the scheme. And of course, we're always looking at ways we can simplify it for small business, but I have to say many small businesses do want to be part of this. They do want to have a role in paying their employees. Because what it does is it keeps the connection between the employer and the employee, and in a time where there is labour shortages, there's nothing more important than an employer keeping that relationship and encouraging that person, when they're ready, to come back to the workplace.
JOURNALIST: Okay, can I just ask one more, sorry, on Senator Payman. Are you worried going into the rest of this week, one vote down now that she's decided to abstain from voting on any bills in the Senate?
GALLAGHER: The Senate determines its own decision, and it's always close. Like we're always one vote one way or one vote the other way. So, it doesn't change our approach. We will just continue to have to focus on the arguments to try to get 38 or 39 votes depending on what's needed.
JOURNALIST: Are you ready to negotiate further with the Crossbench?
GALLAGHER: Well, that’s the story of my life. I'm permanently negotiating with them. I mean, it's the reality of a chamber where you don't have the majority of votes, It means you have to negotiate on everything, including you know, when you sit, how long you sit, what you actually do when you sit, all of that is negotiated. So, it doesn't change in that respect. But, you know, I think all of us would hope that Senator Payman would continue to be a Labor senator. That's what we hope, that's, you know, the support we're trying to provide to her, but ultimately, it's over to her now.
JOURNALIST: Does it frustrate you that she’s put you in this position where you are a vote down?
GALLAGHER: You know, I’m not going to pretend people aren't frustrated. They are. I think it's like any workplace when you have a colleague, you know, going through a difficult time or not pulling in the same direction as everybody else. It's frustrating and difficult for everybody. You know, but our focus is on cost of living you know, that's what we've been – you know, every decision we take is about that, and then we're having to deal with these issues on the side. Thank you.