Delahunty Catherine: Parental Leave and Employment Protection (Six Months’ Paid Leave) Amendment Bill — In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeDelahunty Catherine: Parental Leave and Employment Protection (Six Months’ Paid Leave) Amendment Bill — In Committee[Sitting date: 03 December 2014. Volume:702;Page:1092. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]CATHERINE DELAHUNTY (Green):I am delighted to have an opportunity to talk about clause 6 in these Supplementary Order Papers 15 and 472. I do want to acknowledge the member Sue Moroney whose Parental Leave and Employment Protection (Six Months’ Paid Leave) Amendment Bill these Supplementary Order Papers are for for showing in a way the incredible determination that is sometimes required to get things to happen remembering that if clause 6 helps one family—one household one baby—it is worth fighting for even though it is not what was set out at the beginning. I think it is a credit to Sue Moroney that she has agreed to develop clause 6 with that in mind. I think there was a huge longing from right across Parliament that we do something much bigger and better but this is what is happening.I would like to address specifically in clause 6 the issues around children with an impairment. We have heard a lot about premature birth and multiple births and some about disability but today is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. I want to talk about children born with an impairment and how important clause 6 is to them and their families and how a decent society—and we hear a lot about vulnerable this and vulnerable that in this Chamber—would look after these families first and would look after these families not only at a time of physical stress and cost but of huge psychic shock. I really do commend the member for recognising the importance of paid parental leave of 26 weeks for families whose child is born with or who develops an impairment often as a result of birth trauma. Having seen other people with whom I have connected go through this—and I feel fortunate not to have gone through it myself—I know there is tremendous shock and grief when a child is born with an impairment.The first thing that happens is the grief cycle and that takes a while to work through. It is a cycle of denial anger depression fear—all of those things we experience when our hopes for our newborn child are shattered. Part of that is because as a society we do not celebrate the importance of children no matter how different they are from each other no matter how different or so-called not normal they are. We do not have a society that is particularly tolerant. I do believe that this clause is actually upholding and celebrating and recognising difference. I would never want to romanticise the experience for parents. The best thing we can do is acknowledge that there is a grief cycle that it takes time to go through before—and this is what usually happens—that family comes to some kind of terms.But in order for that family to come to terms and start dealing with and living with the challenge that has been put out and recognising loving and celebrating their child as they are and what is needed for that child they need the support of the State. They do not need to be going to work; they need to be at home. They need to have that financial support so that that grief cycle can be worked through so that they can start looking for the social support counselling therapy education and understanding of exactly what it is that they are dealing with because they do not know—it is all new. I had a connection whose child was born with Down’s syndrome who is a beautiful child with much potential but that initial stage was very painful. It was very hard on the parents and the family because remember it is not just the baby and the parents during that first stage; it is also the other siblings. There is a huge shock that has to be worked through.Paid parental leave is not a luxury. It is not an expense we cannot afford. It is a total investment in making sure that those families can actually build a life. It is not very much to ask of the rest of us—those who have been fortunate enough at that stage to have healthy babies with no impairments—to provide that support. So I am fully in support of the idea of 26 weeks’ paid parental leave for a child whose impairment would entitle the person to Government-funded disability support. I think that is the very least we can do. If we do not and if we assume that parents are going to just adapt there will be suffering and there will also be opportunities missed. The parents should not be back at work when they are going through this process of trying to acknowledge what has happened and what needs to happen. So I am very much respecting the member today for acknowledging that and saying how important that is. Children born with an impairment can have a great life. I know this because—