Social services minister says Human Rights Commission should get its priorities right after it criticised the Coalition’s scheme

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

The social services minister, Scott Morrison, says paid parental leave is “a first-world issue” after the Human Rights Commission warned the government’s scheme could infringe on human rights.

In July the commission recommended the government’s bill proposing changes to paid parental leave not be passed. In a submission to a Senate inquiry it argued the bill “introduces a retrogressive measure which is inconsistent with Australia’s international human rights obligations”.

The changes would remove the ability of new parents to access both government and employer schemes, an entitlement opponents have called “double-dipping”.

Morrison told reporters on Monday the submission showed the commission had its priorities wrong.

“I find it extraordinary that the Human Rights Commission would consider this a priority matter when those who would not get a second payment have an average family income of $150,000,” he said.

“A family income of $150,000 and the Human Rights Commission is addressing whether people get two payments instead of one. I think that says a bit about their priorities.”

Pushed on whether he thought it was a human rights issue, Morrison said said, “It’s certainly a first-world issue ... and I think that people have more deep concerns about this, and what we’re doing is ensuring our welfare system is well-targeted and focused on those most in need.”

The commission’s submission is in line with the warnings issued by the joint parliamentary committee on human rights, which reported that changes to paid parental leave might be discriminatory and limit primary caregivers’ rights to welfare.



“The reduction of access to paid parental leave engages and limits the right to social security,” the committee said. “The statement of compatibility [provided by the government regarding the bill] does not sufficiently justify that limitation for the purposes of international human rights law.”

The report said most primary caregivers were women, and the bill therefore disproportionately affected women, making it discriminatory.

The proposed changes will save the government almost $1bn by abandoning the current payment of $11,500, offered to women earning up to $150,000 a year, if they receive that much or more from their employers.



Labor and the Greens oppose the measures, setting up the possibility of the bill failing in the Senate. The government will need the support of six of the eight crossbenchers for the changes to pass.

Morrison argued that the government’s changes would bolster women’s workplace participation, particularly among the lower paid.

“The good thing about paid parental leave is that the 18 weeks’ paid parental leave has meant that those who previously didn’t get it, those who were working for small businesses, not for large companies and large public sector agencies, those who didn’t get it at all, are now getting it,” he said.

“What we are doing is we are seeking to have a fairer paid parental leave scheme, one that turns it from a union deal into a genuine safety net.”

Morrison said he was “in discussions” with the Senate over the measures, but would not be drawn on whether he was confident the changes would go through.

“When and if it’s passed is a matter for the Senate,” he said.

The prime minister, Tony Abbott, was forced to water down his “signature” paid parental leave scheme late last year after a backlash from the public and his own party who criticised it for being overly generous. The old policy would have seen high income earners receive 26 weeks’ parental leave at full pay, up to $75,000.