One Nation leader Pauline Hanson has come out against the government's current $4 billion omnibus savings bill, pointing to paid parental leave measures that she says risk abuse by parents who will have children purely to get the payments.
The omnibus bill already appeared terminal with opposition to some of its elements from Labor, the Greens and the Nick Xenophon Team. Senator Hanson's decision that she cannot support parts of it – which feed a "welfare handout mentality" – makes clear that the package will need to be changed to pass the Senate.
The bill outlines cuts to family tax benefits, unemployment payments and paid parental leave with some of the savings linked to funding of the National Disability Insurance Scheme.
The government's compromise paid parental leave proposal would extend its scheme from 18 to 20 weeks but still limit access if a mother also draws paid leave from their employer. According to the One Nation leader, this remains too generous.
"They get themselves pregnant and [the government will] have the same problems they did with the Baby Bonus, with people just doing it for the money," Senator Hanson told The Australian.
"This is not commonsense policy. I've gone through a bloody tough life myself as a single mother and held down a part-time job. I had no assistance, no help from anyone. But we have such a welfare handout mentality.
"Unless we make the tough decisions, we will not be able to provide for those in the future who need a helping hand, like the aged, the sick and the needy."
The government has expressed a willingness to drop contentious omnibus measures to secure its passage and has threatened tax hikes to fund the National Disability Insurance Scheme if the money can't be found elsewhere in the budget.
