"Over his dead body" Abbott's vows six-month paid parental leave funded by business tax

[depakid]

A Coalition government would charge big business a levy to fund a six-month paid parental leave scheme. Speaking in Sydney on International Women's Day, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said it would pay new parents the equivalent of their salaries up to $150,000.

He estimates his plan to charge a 1.7 per cent levy on businesses earning more than $5 million a year would raise $2.7 billion a year. Opposition Deputy Leader Julie Bishop, the most senior woman on the Coalition front bench, said the scheme was generous.

"But it's appropriate because we want to see more women in the workforce," Ms Bishop told Sky News. The Coalition scheme is more generous than the government's 18-week paid parental leave scheme, which will come into effect in January 2011.

http://www.smh.com.au/national/abbotts-vow-to-pay-new-parents-20100308-ps17.html

Gotta hand it to Abbot- he's been owning the news cycle, though I'm not sure how people will react to his attempt to outflank Labor on the left.

[Esra Star]

1. Tony must be aware that as soon as the election is over

there will be a push to get Joe Hockey into the top job.
So Tony is just going to pot stir until he gets the flick.