--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Voluntary paid maternity leave: yes…" description: "\"Voluntary paid maternity leave: yes; compulsory paid maternity leave: over this Government’s dead body, frankly. It just won’t happen.\" — Tony Abbott" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/846/tony-abbott-1939_body_voluntary-paid-maternity-leave-yes-compu_2583344.jpg" --- # Voluntary paid maternity leave: yes; compulsory paid… ![“Voluntary paid maternity leave: yes; compulsory paid maternity leave: over this Government’s dead body, frankly. It just won’t happen.” quote by Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/846/tony-abbott-1939_body_voluntary-paid-maternity-leave-yes-compu_2583344.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/846/tony-abbott-1939_body_voluntary-paid-maternity-leave-yes-compu_2583344.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/846/tony-abbott-1939_body_voluntary-paid-maternity-leave-yes-compu_2583344.jpg) > “Voluntary paid maternity leave: yes; compulsory paid maternity leave: over this Government’s dead body, frankly. It just won’t happen.” [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He opposes compulsory paid maternity leave, stating it will never happen under the current government. **In simple terms:** He rejects mandatory maternity benefits. Key Takeaway Advocate for voluntary policies. Themes politics family policy rights Mood defiant political Type controversial policy‑focused When to use this quote - workplace policy - public debate - legislative reform Key Concepts government legislation gender equity Questions to Reflect On - How would voluntary leave affect families? - What alternatives could protect maternity rights? A Different Perspective Opposition may ignore workers’ needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Compulsory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compulsory/) [Compulsory Paid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compulsory-paid-1797743/) [Government](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/government/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Maternity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maternity/) [Maternity leave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maternity-leave/) [Paid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paid/) [Paid Maternity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paid-maternity-1797742/) [Voluntary Paid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voluntary-paid-1797744/) ## Related quotes > [One reason the United States is one of three countries in the world that do not have any form of paid maternity leave is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-m-kunin/one-reason-the-united-states-is-one-of-three-countries-in-the-world/) [Madeleine M. Kunin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-m-kunin/) > [Beginning in the 1800s with the Industrial Revolution, when women started to go into the formal workforce, leaving working at home to working in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jody-heymann/beginning-in-the-1800s-with-the-industrial-revolution-when-women/) [Jody Heymann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jody-heymann/) > [We're the only developed country in the world that doesn't have paid maternity leave. Paternity leave is just as important. Paid family medical leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/we-re-the-only-developed-country-in-the-world-that-doesn-t-have-paid/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Early childhood offerings vary, but everywhere in Europe and in Canada, they're far more generous than in the United States. Ukrainian dads may not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/early-childhood-offerings-vary-but-everywhere-in-europe-and-in-canada/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) > [Were the only advanced country on Earth that doesnt guarantee paid sick leave or paid maternity leave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/were-the-only-advanced-country-on-earth-that-doesnt-guarantee-paid/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ “\[D\]emanding wages for housework (…) forced recognition of the fact that the domestic work which women do has economic value. But many feminists feel… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nivedita-menon/d-emanding-wages-for-housework-forced-recognition-of-the-fact-that/) [Nivedita Menon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nivedita-menon/) > [I sold my first short story while I was home on maternity leave, then began working on novels. 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Some of it occurs because they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-nusslein-volhard/in-german-science-we-have-a-special-problem-we-lose-talented-women-at/) [Christiane Nusslein-Volhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-nusslein-volhard/) > [I had to learn how to not be a micro-manager. Maternity leave made me do that. I just couldn't anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reshma-saujani/i-had-to-learn-how-to-not-be-a-micro-manager-maternity-leave-made-me/) [Reshma Saujani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reshma-saujani/) > [Maternity leave is for women to hide and heal their disintegrating body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-wong/maternity-leave-is-for-women-to-hide-and-heal-their-disintegrating/) [Ali Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-wong/) > [The truth is I don't want my baby out in the freezing cold just because there's an election. But there is no such thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemi-badenoch/the-truth-is-i-don-t-want-my-baby-out-in-the-freezing-cold-just/) [Kemi Badenoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemi-badenoch/) > [Every time a woman leaves the workforce because she can't find or afford childcare, or she can't work out a flexible arrangement with her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-m-kunin/every-time-a-woman-leaves-the-workforce-because-she-can-t-find-or/) [Madeleine M. 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The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/what-will-most-certainly-happen-is-that-there-will-be-very-clear-and/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [All of the people who are using their BlackBerries or their iPhones, Facebook, all of the people who are sitting in cafes and hotels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/all-of-the-people-who-are-using-their-blackberries-or-their-iphones/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [I think there is no doubt that the advent of 24/7 news channels, which are voracious in their demand for constant new content, has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/i-think-there-is-no-doubt-that-the-advent-of-24-7-news-channels-which/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [The only thing I wouldn't do is sell my arse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/the-only-thing-i-wouldn-t-do-is-sell-my-arse/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [Once people come to Australia, they join the team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/once-people-come-to-australia-they-join-the-team/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [I don't think that my particular religious convictions should be held against me in this campaign any more than the Prime Minister's lack of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/i-don-t-think-that-my-particular-religious-convictions-should-be-held/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) [Explore all 196 Tony Abbott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) ## More Body quotes > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. 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