Greens leader Richard Di Natale has accused Labor of attacking families with limited childcare options by continuing to question him about the pay and conditions for his children's au pairs.

Key points: Di Natale says the attack on him is "an attack of all families with limited childcare options who engage au pairs"

Di Natale says the attack on him is "an attack of all families with limited childcare options who engage au pairs" Labor's Brendan O'Connor called for Di Natale to release pay records

Labor's Brendan O'Connor called for Di Natale to release pay records O'Connor says it is in the public interest because the Greens have advocated enshrining penalty rates in law

Labor's employment spokesman Brendan O'Connor has written to Senator Di Natale requesting he provide documentation to prove he paid au pairs the minimum wage for looking after his children.

Mr O'Connor maintains it is in the public interest because the Greens are advocating for workers rights and for legislation to enshrine weekend penalty rates.

Senator Di Natale has released an invitation issued through an au pair agency providing a "template" that suggests a $150 payment per week is appropriate — with food and accommodation provided.

He said the template — first released to a reporter two weeks ago — was appropriate for a 25-hour-a-week childcare position.

He said both major parties were ramping up their attacks on the Greens in the election campaign because "nothing brings the Coles and Woolworths of politics together like a bit of competition from outside their cozy duopoly".

Senator Di Natale said his staff were paid appropriate allowances and he would not provide further documents that include personal details about his children's travel times and dietary preferences.

He said Mr O'Connor's attack on him was "an attack on all families with limited childcare options who engage au pairs in accordance with the rules".

Mr O'Connor writes in the letter that his scrutiny of the agreement is warranted.

"The federal election will be held in a little over a fortnight," he said.

"As I am sure you will agree, the Australian people deserve the opportunity to make a fully informed choice at the ballot box, including in relation to the leaders of the nation's political parties."

During the election campaign the Greens have advocated enshrining penalty rates in law.

Decisions about penalty rates are currently made by the Fair Work Commission (FWC).

While Labor Leader Bill Shorten is adamant they will not be curtailed, the final decision will be made independently by the FWC.

"Voters are entitled to view the Greens political party's claimed support for the minimum wage and decency in the workplace with extreme scepticism if you continue to allow legitimate questions about the payment of workers in your own home to remain unanswered," Mr O'Connor wrote in the letter.

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Weekly allowance of $150 higher than Smart Au Pairs rates

Websites offering au pair services, like Smart Au Pairs, describe it as a day care or child care option for working parents who want flexibility or who live in regional areas where other services may not be available.

Smart Au Pairs refers to the allowance as "pocket money" proposed at $17.25 an hour with a deduction of $350 a week for the homestay component.

By those calculations a 25-hour working week would leave a family owing $81.25 after deductions for board and food, well below the $150 a week paid by the Senator's family.

The website describes the au pair experience as very affordable because the care is based on a "cultural exchange".

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