Adams Paul: Parental Leave and Employment Protection mendment Bill — Second Reading 
Adams Paul: Parental Leave and Employment Protection mendment Bill — Second Reading 
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PAUL ADAMS (United Future) 
: 
 I rise on behalf of United Future which will also support this legislation. 
Hon Member 
: Family-friendly. 
PAUL ADAMS 
: That is right; we are the family-friendly party. But I must agree with Judith Collins. Motherhood is the toughest job in the world and I cannot speak from experience sad to say. I can speak from a father’s perspective but it is interesting. Mothers must do a fantastic job because I have read many a survey on prisons and there are very very few male prisoners—in fact one could count them on one hand—who have a harsh word to say about their mothers. That just shows the benefit of motherhood. 
United Future will take the Government at its word that it is working towards provisions for the self-employed. If it is said in the House it cannot be disputed. We welcome that. Of course United Future has a very simple answer to that problem. That is why we are great believers in income splitting. I think we are starting to return to seeing the benefit of both motherhood and fatherhood. Goodness knows we also need in this nation to understand the ability and the importance of fathers because—far more than we should ever be sadly—we are a nation of fatherless children. If we can come to the fact of income splitting the family will get extra income regardless of whether it is the father or the mother who chooses to stay at home to bring up the children because they will have the benefits of income splitting. 
Simon Power 
: It doesn’t exist. 
PAUL ADAMS 
: No I said United Future has been promoting income splitting I say to Simon Power. 
Coming back to the business of the self-employed unfortunately a child does not have the right to choose the occupation of its parents. Therefore if a child is unfortunate enough to be born to a mother who happens to be self-employed that poor child does not get the same care and attention over those vital weeks as does the child whose mother is in employment. 
Simon Power 
: What’s the Family Commission doing about it? 
PAUL ADAMS 
: That is a very good question I say to Mr Power. I will ask the commission members the next time I see them and I will get back to the member as soon as I can. 
The first of the two things the bill shows up is that the Government still does not fully understand as I just mentioned the position of mothers who have chosen to be self-employed and the value of motherhood as a career. Many women today feel they do not get personal self-worth or self-esteem unless they have proven themselves in a secular employed job. But I say “Well done” to mothers out there who have never been in the workforce who have laboured diligently in their homes and who have poured themselves out into their children. They have chosen a tremendous occupation. The mere fact that they do not get paid for it is secondary to the great job they do. 
If we in this place started to recognise again the value of parenthood which of course is at the core of all that United Future believes in and started to promote motherhood and fatherhood as occupations—if we want to use that word—well worthy of pursuit members would find that this nation would turn round in a lot of areas including crime burglaries and all those things far quicker than anything else we could do. We need to start to promote parenting again. 
But as I say this legislation is heading in the right direction and we welcome the fact that mothers will be able to spend time in those important first few months when their baby comes home. We have seen figures indicating it has helped with mothers who choose to breastfeed in those important few months and that is well worthy of support. United Future supports this legislation.