I must say that all this talk of double dipping and new mums supposedly rorting the system is hypocritical if you ask me.

The government voted for this paid parental scheme. It was structured with part coming from the employer and part from the government. Government minister wives have even made use of this scheme. It was all above board and if you were entitled to the parental leave payments why not let this help you if you are a new parent. It all helps.

Why is it that we are now having conversations about who works and who doesn’t. I for one would like to challenge any person to say that a mum that is a stay at home parent does not work. The only difference is that they are not in paid employment. This mother might be racing everywhere and going above and beyond for her family but this is not listed as work, due to no payment for said tasks.

Working mothers do it tough too. They drop their kids off at care or have family to come and help. Without care these mums would not be able to work and to contribute to society, their household and progress their careers.

It does not matter if you are in paid work or not. Looking after kids, family and a house is a big job as well. Doing this with a full time job is hard too. It is all a balancing act. No one is better or worse, it is just different.

It now seems like mothers are under attack. I know that is not actually true but that is the way it appears. Joe Hockey was asked if “Double Dipping” was fraud and he eventually said yes. Now he is back peddling. So I suppose in his mind all women/men that took advantage of this paid parental scheme, which is legal and was voted in by him and the current government are breaking the law.

 

“Social Services Minister Scott Morrison has said accessing both schemes is “double dipping” and “a rort”.

“Asked last week if it was “fraud” for mothers to collect both schemes, Mr Hockey said: “Well, it is”, but stopped short of using the word himself.”

 

You do have to qualify first to be eligible to get the paid parental leave.  Below is what you need to be eligible to claim. Taken from the Human Resources Government website:

• be the primary carer of a newborn or recently adopted child
• meet the Paid Parental Leave work test
• meet the Paid Parental Leave income test
• be on leave or not working from the time you become your child’s primary carer until the end of your Paid Parental Leave period

Just in case you are worried that paid parental leave might not be available for you, there is a note on the website that says:

“The current Paid Parental Leave scheme has not changed. It will continue to be available to eligible customers.”

Let’s just hope that it does not get changed at all, or very little if at all.

What are your thoughts? The government is now claiming that it is the parents fault for taking advantage of a legal scheme to help them spend more time with their new baby.

 

If there is a way for new parents to spend more time with their new addition why not take that up and give yourself more time to bond, and get to know your new little baby. It could be a mother or father that wishes to do this, and does not always have to be the mum that is claiming the paid parental leave.

Are you a new parent? Have you been lucky enough to get the paid parental leave? When I went on maternity leave with the twins I did not have this option and plus I was on a contract.

If paid parental leave was available when I had the twins and I was in full time employment I would have taken advantage, as it would have given us help when we really needed it. Caring for two new little people and not earning a wage was a shock to the system.

Let us know how this talk of double dipping is affecting you. What are your thoughts of all the back flipping?