The Federal government has shelved its plan to stop new parents from claiming both Employer and Federal Government funded paid leave after conceeding the necessary legisation could not pass the Senate but will still consider other ways to "modify" leave arrangements if re-elected. 

The Federal government has shelved its plan to stop new parents from claiming both Employer and Federal Government funded paid leave after conceeding the necessary legisation could not pass the Senate but will still consider other ways to "modify" leave arrangements if re-elected. 

The Abbott Government had unveiled changes in the 2015 budget restricting 80,000 new mothers from so called "double dipping" by accessing both Employer and government parental leave schemes but these were rejected by the Senate.  Then under a modified Turnbull Government version, the weeks of paid leave bargained from the Employer would have been deducted from the government's 18-week scheme but this has also failed to win majority support from Senators. 

Victorian Public Sector workers receive 14 weeks paid parental leave under agreements reached through bargaining over many years and will still be able to claim both their employers' and the federal governments paid parental leave schemes as a result.  But in a warning to new parents ahead of the federal election expected this year the Social Security Minister said the backdown did not mean it had given up on new measures to stop parents claiming under the taxpayer-funded scheme if re-elected.