One Nation leader Pauline Hanson addressed the National Press Club on Wednesday, arguing that women should not expect paid wages during parental leave because they are not working. Hanson also questioned the need for degree-qualified childcare workers and advocated for direct government payments to parents instead of funding childcare providers.

Hanson stated that paying women for parental leave is unfair, saying, "If women take time off and they are not paid their wages because they’re not working, fair enough." She questioned, "Why should business pay?" All employees in Australia are entitled to 12 months of unpaid leave, and the government paid parental leave scheme starting July 1 will offer parents 26 weeks at the national minimum wage.

Leonora Risse, an associate professor in economics at Queensland University of Technology, said that questioning these policies is "actually winding back the clock to many decades back, where it wasn’t an even playing field, and the gender gap was much wider." Risse added, "It isn’t just the financial implications for women, it is also setting women back in terms of decision-making, having financial independence, having a say, having status and respect in society." She further stated, "If women can sustain their involvement and their attachment to the workforce and to their employer during their child-bearing years, that’s positive for productivity because it maintains a good job match." Risse noted, "We’ve worked really hard to validate that case and to prove that it has a productivity benefit as well as a wellbeing benefit."

Hanson also pushed for income splitting for families with at least one dependent child. This policy would allow both parents to combine their incomes and split the total, subjecting the income to two tax-free thresholds. One Nation's website indicates this policy would encourage parents to care for their children, reduce government childcare costs, and encourage homeschooling. The party did not respond to inquiries regarding continued support for government-funded paid parental leave.

Silvia Griselda, an independent economist, commented on the economic impact of women not working. Griselda said, "Women, on average, tend to be more educated than men, so if you’re asking half of the workforce to not work … it means that we are kind of limiting the growth and the productivity of the Australian economy." She added, "[And] if there is a shortage of skills in Australia, Australia has to overcome that through immigration." Griselda also linked Hanson's stance to reducing taxes, saying, "Her point is we don’t like to pay tax, that we should reduce the tax, that’s why we shouldn’t pay for parental leave or childcare." Griselda stated, "This in the long run, or even in the short run, will definitely limit the economy."

Risse also noted that gender equality policies have progressed over time. She said, "One of the ways in which gender equality policies have progressed over time is for women to actually gain the right to have their own bank account, their own financial stream, and not to be dependent." Risse added, "Income splitting could sound potentially equitable in practice, but it also introduces potential risk or compromise in terms of women’s financial independence." Hanson called the Australian childcare system, which costs approximately $16 billion annually, "completely out of control," and suggested it be investigated. She advocates for money to go directly to parents instead of childcare providers. Hanson said, "I was a mother of four children." She added, "I didn’t have a university degree to look after my children," and questioned, "Why do we now expect these childcare centres to have students or people with some sort of degree to look after a child?"