The National Party is accusing Labour of picking "politics over parents" after it voted against a Members' Bill that would've allowed choice when taking paid parental leave.
On Wednesday, National deputy leader Nicola Willis' Parental Leave and Employment Protection (Shared Leave) Amendment Bill had its first reading in the House. Every political party voted in favour of the Bill except Labour, meaning any further progress on it was halted.
Willis said her Bill would have "modernised" the current settings of paid parental leave, allowing Kiwi parents to take their leave at the same time, one after the other or in overlapping instalments.
"Whether you’re a Dad wanting to support Mum in the first few weeks after birth, or you want to divide your paid leave entitlement between two primary caregivers in overlapping instalments, the choice should be yours. But Labour wants to stop you."
The deputy leader said her Bill would come at no extra cost to the taxpayer and would give Kiwi parents and caregivers the ability to make decisions "they believe are best for their own family".
"Labour seem to think it knows better than parents on what leave arrangements they should choose."
She accused Labour of wanting to score "some cheap political points" by voting down her Bill.
But Deputy Prime Minister and Labour MP Carmel Sepuloni said the advice the Government received is that the Bill is "unworkable in the form that it is in". She said there are some potential "unintended consequences" the Bill would cause, including the health of the birthing parent.
"It is something that would need to be thought through more before we could agree to such a measure," she said.
"Part of the reason it was set to 26 weeks [of paid parental leave] was actually to provide the six months of breastfeeding that the World Health Organization recommends."
She said the Bill was "unworkable" because of how many times it had been amended so far. Sepuloni said there is more to be considered before the Labour Party could support the bill.
When asked if this is Labour thinking it knows better than Kiwi whānau themselves do, Sepuloni said it's the Government's job is to look at "any unintended consequences to legislation".
"It is very difficult with a Private Members' Bill because it hasn't been interrogated to the point that it needs to be."
Though if the first reading of the Bill had been passed, an interrogating process would have occurred in the Select Committee.
Sepuloni believes there is merit in what Willis' Bill is proposing but said it hasn't been "thought through enough to be supported at this stage".
"It's certainly something that could be considered by future Governments, but you wouldn't rush something through that could have unintended consequences of the nature that I've just explained."
She said the advice she has seen is the bill is "unworkable" and the unintended consequences hadn't been "fleshed out".
"There's merit in what's being proposed, but it would need to be worked through more."
Willis believes Labour's vote against her Bill is the party "determined to avoid giving National a win".
"They have cast aside the needs of new parents, picking petty partisan politics instead," she said.
"This is a shameful day for a desperate Government on its last legs. Labour should hang their heads in shame."
In June, the Government announced it would increase paid parental leave entitlements from $661.12 per week to $712.17 per week before tax. This kicked in last month.
Read more about the current paid parental leave settings here.
