LNP Senator for Queensland Gerard Rennick has defended his comments in the Senate about childcare and stay at home parents, saying governments should make it easier to empower a parent to stay home and care for their child or children during their formative years, if a parent so wishes.
Senator Rennick said, “For the four years prior to entering parliament, I had the pleasure and privilege of staying home and raising my young children. I know how important it is that parents are with their children at such a young age. There is no greater bond than that between a parent and a child, and it is one that governments should seek to preserve. There is no substitute for mum and dad.”
“The focus of Government and indeed society shouldn’t be about getting parents back into the workforce as quickly as possible. Rather, we need to make it financially and socially easier for parents, whether that be mum or dad, to choose what’s best for the family.”
“It’s disappointing to see Labor and the leftist media deliberately misconstrue my comments in parliament yesterday. Nobody is saying mum must stay home and raise the kids. It’s about giving parents the choice”, said Senator Rennick.
“We should not forget the welfare of our children. It’s important that our kids don’t get left behind in today’s rat race. I fail to see the controversy in this statement.”
“As I said yesterday, Dorothy didn’t tap her shoes together and say, ‘There’s no place like childcare.’ She said, ‘There’s no place like home.’ I will always stand up for the rights of parents to choose what’s best for their family.”
Senator Rennick will be speaking on this afternoon’s Matter of Public Importance which focusses on the issue of childcare.
ENDS.
