En Passant

Some at least of Abbott’s paid parental leave scheme will be paid for by the reduction in franking credits, and thus reducing superannuation fund returns and those of mum and dad investors

Those nasty unionists have been arguing for a $27 a week increase in the minimum wage from its current ‘exorbitant’ $544 a week. The end is nigh. Or so the bosses tell us. There are about 1.4 million workers whose salary is dependent in some way on the minimum wage. Paying them a slight increase will […]

The Liberal’s parental leave scheme offers six months on replacement wage or the minimum wage, whichever is the higher, with superannuation. So much for the apologists for Labor who argue the ALP scheme – 18 weeks on the minimum wage – is more generous and equitable. I say that not as an apologist for the […]

Tony Abbott’s paid parental leave scheme is more generous than Kevin Rudd’s. The leader of the Opposition says it will cost about $3 billion a year to pay for six months’ full replacement of wages  up to $150,000. The Government’s scheme comes into effect on 1 January 2011 and provides the minimum wage (currently around $543) for […]

Abbot thinks (rightly I strongly suspect) that there are working women’s votes in taxing big business to fund his 6 month fully paid parental leave scheme.  In fact taxing big business will resonate among many workers generally. Is this the Santamaria in Abbott surfacing? Sharan Burrows’ response – it’s to divert attention away from Workchoices and will […]