O'Rourke Denis: Parental Leave and Employment Protection (Six Months’ Paid Leave) Amendment Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeO'Rourke Denis: Parental Leave and Employment Protection (Six Months’ Paid Leave) Amendment Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 23 July 2014. Volume:700;Page:19377. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]From the perspective of National clearly we depart in policy on a couple of levels. I would have to say that on a personal level I also believe that paid parental leave is not actually the answer to vulnerable children and it is not actually the answer for communities in the sense that the most important role that a parent will have is to support to love to nurture and to bring up their child and that is not necessarily something that is about the Government. In fact if one asks me I actually think that the less involvement the Government can have in the bringing up of a child the better.Denis O'Rourke: Disgraceful.MIKE SABIN: Well it is not disgraceful. Why does the member think it is disgraceful? Why does the member think it is disgraceful?Denis O'Rourke: The Government should be interested in children.MIKE SABIN: No no; I did not say that the Government should not be interested in children but the primary—Denis O'Rourke: That’s a contradiction of what the previous speaker said.MIKE SABIN: Well the member is right off track. The member is right off track because the Government is far less important in a child’s life than the parents. The parents’ responsibility is one that will always be primary and will always usurp the responsibility of anyone or anything else. I believe that very firmly. So although I do see a place for paid parental leave—Denis O'Rourke: It’s nonsense.MIKE SABIN: It is not nonsense. It is not nonsense at all Denis O’Rourke—it is not nonsense at all Denis O’Rourke. It is about ensuring certainly from this party’s perspective that the primary responsibility of parenting is the responsibility of the parent. Responsibility is about sacrifice. There are plenty of times in a parent’s life when they will have to put themselves second and the needs of their child well ahead of them. The sad reality is that in this country—Tracey Martin: That’s what you’re saying isn’t it Mr Sabin—only people with money can have children.MIKE SABIN: That squawking does get to me. The sad reality is that in this country the default position of far too many parents is that the Government should take the primary responsibility role—it is the Government that should take that primary responsibility role. That in my world is wrong. If you ask me why so many families are falling apart it is because they have forgotten what it is to be a responsible parent. It is not the role of the Government to take over the responsibility of parenting.When it comes to paid parental leave most will actually put their child first and they will make the sacrifices not for 14 weeks not for 16 weeks not for 26 weeks but for 5 years or beyond. There is no magic figure that is the amount of time people should spend with their children. The reality is that if a parent can spend the first 5 years the formative years of a child’s life with them full time that will be the best for that child. It is not about 26 weeks. It is not about 18 or 16 weeks. Sure there will be some—Denis O'Rourke: An anti-parent speech.MIKE SABIN: Well that is absolute rubbish Denis O’Rourke. That is absolute rubbish. It is the parent’s responsibility to be a parent first and foremost and that is not about the Government stepping in and usurping that role. Regardless of what support exists out there the primary responsibility should always be and will always rest with the parent. Although I acknowledge that the member cares passionately about this particular bill the Government opposes it because we believe we have got the balance right.