The proposal caught everyone, including his parliamentary colleagues, by surprise. And the reaction from those Mr Abbott expected to pay for the roughly $2.7 billion scheme - big business - was as predictable as it was swift.

Most major employer groups have condemned as fantasy the plan to tax big business to fund the scheme.

They pointed to the negative effect it would have on investment and jobs, as well as distorting the tax system and possibly even harming Australia’s competitiveness.

For his part, the Opposition Leader has since acknowledged the concerns of the business community. He has even shown signs of a retreat by saying it would be better to introduce the plan when company tax is falling. The big winners in all this are those working women who plan to have a child in the coming years, and who will want to access some form of paid parental leave.

Both major parties are offering their own versions of the initiative.

However, many employers have given up on waiting for the Federal Government to formulate a paid parental leave scheme and have introduced their own.

Ultimately, business does not need another layer of taxation - an impediment to growth and recovery - but Australia does need a properly planned and implemented parental leave scheme that is sustainable in the long term.

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