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Under-fire Australian PM to scrap parental leave scheme Australian PM Abbott 'has not considered resigning'
(about 4 hours later)
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott is to scrap a controversial parental leave scheme, amid growing questions about his leadership. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott says he has not considered resigning, despite a slump in popularity and growing questions about his leadership.
He is expected to say the paid parental leave scheme is "off the table" in a major policy speech later on Monday. In a major policy speech, he confirmed the scrapping of a paid parental leave scheme, one of his signature policies.
The plan is seen as a signature policy of Mr Abbott's but was opposed by members of his party on cost grounds. Mr Abbott admitted he had suffered a couple of months of "hard times".
Mr Abbott's standing among voters has slumped and his coalition suffered a shock defeat in Queensland elections. He has faced criticism for awarding a knighthood to Queen Elizabeth's husband Prince Philip and suffered a shock defeat in state elections.
He vowed to learn lessons from the rout, but added "in the end, government is not a popularity contest, it is a competence contest". But he told journalists at the National Press Club in Canberra he believed he was still the best person to lead the country and had not considered quitting.
Mr Abbott has also been under-fire, including from some in his own party, over his decision to award a knighthood to Queen Elizabeth's husband Prince Philip. Referring to the previous Labor government, which struggled with infighting, Mr Abbott said his party was elected in 2013 because "the Australian people rejected chaos".
Childcare focus "And we are not going to take them back to that chaos... Let's also remember what I have said time and time again at the time... Once you go to an election it is the people who 'hire and fire'," he said.
The PPL scheme would have seen new parents being given half a year off at full pay. 'Times are tough'
But according to extracts released ahead of his National Press Club speech, Mr Abbott will say that after consulting with colleagues and families, it would be better to focus on childcare. He also said he had the full support of his deputy, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.
A Fairfax-Ipsos poll suggested voter disapproval of Mr Abbott stood at 67%. "Julie's a friend of mine, Julie's my deputy... I believe I have her full support and I certainly look forward to continuing to have that."
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull have been suggested as possible contenders for his job, although both have publicly backed Mr Abbott. Ms Bishop and Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull have been suggested as possible contenders for his job, although both have publicly backed Mr Abbott.
The last Labor government suffered turmoil among its leadership. On the paid parental leave scheme, Mr Abbott said it was "off the table" as the country currently could not afford the scheme.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was ousted by his deputy Julia Gillard in 2010, later returning to power in 2013 only to be defeated by Mr Abbott's coalition three months later. "I admire stay-at-home mums - as [his wife] Margie was when our children were young - but still firmly believe in the need for a better paid parental leave scheme to maximise my daughters' choices to have a career and to have a family too," he said.
"Still, I accept that what's desirable is not always doable especially when times are tough and budgets are tight."
The scheme would have seen many new mothers receive full pay for half a year.
But members of Mr Abbott's own party said it was too expensive and it received only a lukewarm response from women's groups because it did not address rising child care costs.
Asked if he would accept a knighthood, he said no, adding: "I think it is highly unlikely I would be offered any particular gong at this time."