MPs scold Abbott over parental scheme

Tony Abbott has been forced to apologise to coalition MPs after they put him on
notice that they wouldn't put up with him failing to consult on key policy
decisions.

Just months after Malcolm Turnbull was pushed from the Liberal leadership over his
autocratic style, Mr Abbott has sought forgiveness for heading down the same path on
his paid parental leave plan.
Labor and big business have joined forces to condemn the policy, which would see the
top end of town face a 1.7 per cent levy on company tax above $5 million to fund six
months paid leave at full salary.
A rejuvenated Kevin Rudd, who is on the ascendant after dealing with the failed
insulation program and unveiling a key health policy, accused Mr Abbott of pushing
policy "snapped out of thin air".
The opposition leader unleashed the plan on Monday without taking it to shadow
cabinet or the coalition party room, catching most opposition MPs and senators on
the hop.
Mr Abbott apologised to the party room but explained the decision as a "leader's call".
"Sometimes it's better to ask forgiveness than permission," Mr Abbott told colleagues.
"Yesterday I made a call, leaders shouldn't do this very often but sometimes,
occasionally, it has been done and this was such an occasion."
Mr Abbott, generally seen as being a bit of a hard sell to women with his blokey
image and macho pursuits, made the announcement in a speech on International Women's
Day.
But his strategy failed to impress some MPs and senators.
Nearly 20 took the matter up in the party room during a debate described as a
"gentle criticism" about the lack of process.
One former Liberal minister told AAP the party room thought it necessary to remind
Mr Abbott that usually better policy outcomes were achieved when they were more
broadly canvassed.
West Australian Wilson Tuckey, who was critical of Mr Abbott's decision, told AAP it
would have been hypocritical not to have raised the issue given his campaign against
Mr Turnbull's tendency to act without consultation.
"I was highly critical of the failure of the process (then)," Mr Tuckey said.
Apart from his apology, Mr Abbott sought to assure colleagues who were worried that
stay-at-home mothers might feel left out, promising the policy wasn't the "last
word" on the issue.
Opposition treasury spokesman Joe Hockey, one of the few consulted, backed the
policy as the "right economic response" to major challenges like productivity and
workforce participation.
"This actually delivers for big and small business because it is a real incentive
for women to come back into the workforce," he told reporters.
"It's a real incentive for people to continue to contribute to the economy."
Mr Abbott stressed the levy was a "temporary" measure that could be reworked once a
coalition government had dealt with the debt created by Labor.
But Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner seized on the tax as a disaster for the economy.
"There would be a significant disincentive for companies to grow, to add jobs," he
said.
And, he said, it was another example of Mr Abbott showing lack of management skill.
"(His) cavalier approach to economic management demonstrates that he cannot be
trusted to manage the Australian economy and the public finances of this nation," Mr
Tanner told parliament.
"His chaotic approach to managing the affairs of his own party shows that he cannot
be trusted to manage the affairs of the Australian nation."