Raising children is expensive I agree-I am in the midst of doing so now with 3 teenagers and it would be costing me 10 fold compared to when they were babies. I disagree that raising babies is expensive. The majority of babies are breastfed which is free. Although only 10 years ago when I stopped using nappiesI used cloth the majority of the time as the thought of disposables as clogging up our tips disgusts me-it's just a little extra washing. Apart from that a basic cot, pram, change table & clothes. You could purchase all these for less than $2K. The costs become more only when people are sucked in to buying everything that winks, blinks, opens & shuts as well as designer clothes.
Whether you vote labour or liberal I really believe labour's scheme is generous enough. Woman can earn whatever they want whilst working-good on them. I worked hard for my degrees so I feel I deserve a decent wage myself. But...I will make the point again...that while women are at home on maternity leave they are all performing the same role 'caring for their baby'-no difference from one mum to another ...thus we shouldn't be paying one mum $75K and another $15K for doing the same thing!
