Q. Below are two options for paid parental leave. Which of the two do you think would be better for Australia as a whole?
| Total | Gender | Age Group | Federal Voting Intention | Dependent Children | ||||||||
| Male | Female | 18-34 | 35-54 | 55+ | Labor | TOTAL: Coalition | Greens | TOTAL: Other | Have dependent children | Do not have dependent children | ||
| Up to 18 weeks for primary carers, plus 2 weeks ‘Dad & Partner pay’. Both are paid at the same rate as the national minimum wage. | 40% | 45% | 35% | 30% | 35% | 53% | 36% | 48% | 27% | 37% | 36% | 42% |
| Up to 26 weeks at full pay including super, which can be used by either parent and split between them if they choose. | 60% | 55% | 65% | 70% | 65% | 47% | 64% | 52% | 73% | 63% | 64% | 58% |
| Base (n) | 1,368 | 669 | 699 | 426 | 460 | 482 | 483 | 471 | 123 | 165 | 496 | 872 |
Q. Working women currently receive taxpayer-funded paid parental leave (PPL) of $641 a week (the minimum wage) for up to 18 weeks. In the Federal Budget, the Government has proposed women who can access employer-sponsored PPL schemes will lose all or part of their taxpayer-funded PPL. Do you approve or disapprove of this proposal?
|
Total |
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other/ Indep- endent |
Men |
Women |
Aged 18-34 |
Aged 35-54 |
Aged 55+ |
|||
|
Total approve |
56% |
47% |
73% |
37% |
63% |
60% |
52% |
42% |
59% |
71% |
||
|
Total disapprove |
27% |
36% |
16% |
40% |
21% |
22% |
30% |
38% |
22% |
17% |
||
|
Strongly approve |
25% |
16% |
37% |
16% |
35% |
28% |
22% |
13% |
27% |
38% |
||
|
Approve |
31% |
31% |
36% |
21% |
28% |
32% |
30% |
29% |
32% |
33% |
||
|
Disapprove |
14% |
16% |
10% |
23% |
10% |
12% |
15% |
18% |
12% |
10% |
||
|
Strongly disapprove |
13% |
20% |
6% |
17% |
11% |
10% |
15% |
20% |
10% |
7% |
||
|
Don’t know |
18% |
17% |
12% |
23% |
16% |
17% |
18% |
21% |
18% |
13% |
56% approve and 27% disapprove of the Government’s proposal that women who can access employer-sponsored paid parental leave schemes will lose all or part of their taxpayer-funded PPL.
Those most likely to approve were Liberal/National voters (73%), men (60%) and those aged 55+ (71%). Those aged under 35 were split 42% approve/38% disapprove.
Q. Tony Abbott recently announced that the Government will not proceed with their proposed paid parental leave scheme. Do you approve or disapprove of the Government dropping their paid parental leave scheme?
|
Total |
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote Other |
|
| Total approve |
59% |
55% |
73% |
46% |
69% |
|
| Total disapprove |
25% |
29% |
16% |
29% |
20% |
|
| Strongly approve |
31% |
33% |
35% |
22% |
43% |
|
| Approve |
28% |
22% |
38% |
24% |
26% |
|
| Disapprove |
14% |
15% |
10% |
10% |
12% |
|
| Strongly disapprove |
11% |
14% |
6% |
19% |
8% |
|
| Don’t know |
17% |
16% |
10% |
24% |
10% |
59% approve of the Government dropping their paid parental leave scheme and 25% disapprove.
A majority of both Labor voters (55%) and Liberal/National voters (73%) approve.
83% of those aged 55+ approve while younger respondents were divided – for those aged 18-34, 38% approve and 40% disapprove.
child care rebate, paid parental leave
Q. Which of the following policies would you favour most?
|
Total |
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other |
|
| The Paid Parental Leave scheme (26 weeks leave at full pay) |
25% |
27% |
24% |
28% |
18% |
|
| Increasing the child care rebate |
51% |
56% |
52% |
48% |
51% |
|
| Don’t know |
24% |
17% |
24% |
24% |
31% |
51% would favour increasing the child care rebate and 25% the Paid Parental Leave scheme.
Those most likely to favour increasing the childcare rebate were aged 45+ (62%), Labor voters (56%) and part-time workers (60%).
Among those aged under 35, 43% favoured the Paid Parental Leave scheme and 37% favoured increasing the childcare rebate.
There were no significant differences between men and women.
Liberal Government parental leave, paid parental leave
Q. The Liberal Government plans to introduce a new parental leave policy which gives new parents up to 26 weeks leave at their current full rate of pay (up to $100,000) to be partly paid for by a 1.5 per cent levy on large companies.
The current policy introduced by the previous Labor Government gives new parents 18 weeks leave at the minimum wage rate paid for by the Government.
Which scheme do you support most?
|
Total |
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other |
|
Feb 14* |
|
| The government’s policy |
19% |
17% |
24% |
18% |
16% |
23% |
||
| The current policy |
36% |
48% |
26% |
50% |
32% |
36% |
||
| Neither |
34% |
26% |
40% |
22% |
43% |
32% |
||
| Don’t know |
11% |
9% |
11% |
10% |
9% |
9% |
*The Feb 2014 question outlined the original Liberal policy, which would have given up to 26 weeks leave at the parent’s current full rate of pay up to $150,000.
The largest proportion (36%) of Australians prefers the current parental leave policy. Just 19% support the government’s policy; while a large proportion (34%) support neither.
The latest results show a slight drop in support for the government’s policy (down from 23% in February 2014; this question included the original upper limit of $150,000).
Labor voters were more likely to support the current policy (48%). However, 17% support the government’s policy, and 26% support neither. Lib/Nat voters were most likely to support neither policy (40%). However, 24% support the government’s policy, and 26% support the current policy.
Those aged 18-34 were most likely to support the government’s policy (33%). Those aged 35-44 were reflective of the overall sample, with 20% supporting the government’s policy, 36% supporting the current policy and 29% supporting neither. Those aged 45+ were far more likely to select ‘neither’ (47%), with just 9% supporting the government’s policy, and 36% the current policy.
Liberal government paid parental leave policy, paid parental leave
Q. The Liberal Government plans to introduce a new parental leave policy which gives new parents up to 26 weeks leave at their current full rate of pay (up to $150,000) to be partly paid for by a 1.5 per cent levy on large companies. The current policy introduced by the previous Labor Government gives new parents 18 weeks leave at the minimum wage rate paid for by the Government. Which scheme do you support most?
|
Total |
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
Vote other |
|
Aug 13 |
|
| The Government’s new policy |
23% |
19% |
28% |
21% |
26% |
24% |
||
| The current policy |
36% |
49% |
26% |
46% |
38% |
35% |
||
| Neither |
32% |
24% |
41% |
24% |
29% |
28% |
||
| Don’t know |
9% |
8% |
6% |
9% |
7% |
13% |
36% support the previous Labor Government’s paid parental leave policy and 23% support the Coalition Government’s policy more. 32% support neither scheme.
The current scheme is supported by both men (38% to 24%) and women (34% to 22%).
By age group, those aged 18-34 support the Coalition Government’s scheme 36% to 35% while aged 35-54 support the current scheme 36% to 20% and those aged 55+ support the current scheme 38% to 11%.
The change of Government has had little impact on opinions on this issue – results are almost exactly the same as when this question was asked in August.
26 August 2013, 260813, labor scheme, liberal scheme, paid parental leave
Q. The Opposition’s parental leave policy is to give new parents up to 26 weeks leave at their current full rate of pay (up to $150,000) to be partly paid for by a 1.5 per cent levy on large companies. The Labor Government’s policy gives new parents 18 weeks leave at the minimum wage rate paid for by the Government. Which scheme do you support most?
|
Total |
|
Vote Labor |
Vote Lib/Nat |
Vote Greens |
|
| The Government’s scheme |
35% |
58% |
19% |
38% |
|
| The Opposition’s scheme |
24% |
14% |
36% |
20% |
|
| Neither |
28% |
15% |
35% |
25% |
|
| Don’t know |
13% |
13% |
10% |
17% |
35% support the Government’s paid parental leave scheme and 24% support the Coalition’s scheme more. 28% support neither scheme.
The Government’s scheme is supported by both men (37% to 25%) and women (34% to 23%).
By age group, those aged 18-34 support the Coalition’s scheme 35% to 33% while aged 35-54 support the Government’s scheme 35% to 22% and those aged 55+ support the Government’s scheme 37% to 14%.