Baby pay plans hurt

MUMS have roundly rejected the Federal Government’s proposed changes to paid parental leave, warning the attack on so- called “double dipping” will force women back to work before they are ready. New research from lobby group The Parenthood shows a whopping 94 per cent of parents oppose Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s decision to stop mums getting both employer- paid and taxpayer- funded parental leave schemes. The survey of 1431 mums, dads and prospective parents also reveals 86 per cent of people who have previously “doubledipped” did so to spend more time at home with their newborns. That challenges Social Services Minister Scott Morrison’s argument that most mums are claiming the two payments at the same time rather than staying home for longer.