ALP conference: Paid parental leave reform ‘a priority’

Labor has declared paying superannuation to primary carers while they are on paid parental leave will be a “priority”.

Finance Minister Katy Gallagher. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Labor has declared paying superannuation to primary carers while they are on paid parental leave will be a “priority” for the party, as the Albanese government promises to address gender inequalities.

The move came despite Jim Chalmers earlier this year knocking back the policy – which was recommended by the government’s hand-picked Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce – citing budgetary pressures.

But under a binding resolution agreed to at Labor’s national conference on Thursday, the party will “work to implement payment of superannuation on government paid parental leave as a priority ­reform”.

Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Associations national secretary Julia Fox said the only form of paid leave that does not attract superannuation payments is PPL, of which women make up 70 per cent of recipients.

“We need to close the gap on super,” she said.

A former draft of the national platform indicated the government wanted to expand PPL to “at least 26 weeks” and have super paid to carers on leave, noting its hopes this would be done through a “combination” of government and employer contributions.

After the government shelved plans to add superannuation to PPL payments in May, Finance Minister Katy Gallagher insisted work needed to address gender inequity was “not finished in one budget” and that the government was unable to “do everything at once”.

The Labor conference also agreed to a resolution urging the government to consider making the super tax system more equitable, with delegates agreeing wealthy people were the beneficiaries of generous concessions.

Meanwhile, federal laws prohibiting doctors from giving phone and telehealth advice to patients about voluntary assisted dying will be reviewed.

Despite more than 18 million Australians now covered by state ­assisted-dying schemes, current commonwealth laws threaten doctors with a $220,000 fine for “inciting or counselling” suicide via a carriage service.

The Palaszczuk government has been lobbying federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus to change the laws for more than a year, arguing regional Australians are disadvantaged because of lack of specialists in the bush.

Mr Dreyfus has previously told The Australian the government is investigating changes.

Under a resolution passed on Thursday, Labor will have to review commonwealth laws.

The Albanese government will also work with states to fund programs properly so assisted dying can be accessed in regional communities.

Although the resolutions are binding, it is up to the government to decide when to enact them.

The conference was also considering an amendment that indicated “individuals should not be financially penalised by opting to be covered wholly by the public health sector” in what could be a major overhaul of health insurance and tax arrangements.

However, the amendment was ultimately watered down to say Labor would “review all aspects of the cost of health including insurance in this term of office”.

The Australian understands Left faction delegates were in close and “good faith” negotiations with party leadership over the change.

The Left hopes that a review will ultimately find individuals should not be “financially penalised” by choosing to be covered by the public health sector.