Ms Broderick will finish her eight-year term as commissioner on Friday. The government is yet to announce her successor.

She made a plea to the Senate not to pass the government's changes to the paid parental leave scheme, the same scheme which she campaigned for at the beginning of her time as commissioner.

The government's amendments are designed to save nearly $1 billion over the forward estimates by winding back the ability of new parents to access both the taxpayer-funded 18 week minimum wage paid parental leave scheme and any employer provided entitlements.

"I think any move to pare back the support that you need at a time when you're welcoming a new baby into the family, or to pare back women's ability to come into paid work, will mean that we just reinforce some of the gender gaps that currently exist for women," Ms Broderick said.

"Having a strong paid parental leave scheme is absolutely fundamental to women making progress in our nation."