Labor has slammed the Coalition for holding “completely archaic” views on childcare after a fierce debate erupted among government MPs about subsidies, with one suggesting working women were “outsourcing parenting”.
In a Coalition party room meeting on Tuesday, which was chaired by the new deputy prime minister, Barnaby Joyce, government MPs argued about the benefits of a $1.7bn childcare package announced in last month’s budget.
After the education minister, Alan Tudge, spoke about the legislation, the Queensland senator Matt Canavan said he would not support the bill unless there was also extra support for parents to care for their children at home.
The government’s proposal increases subsidies for families that have more than one child in care and removes a cap on subsidies for higher-income families.
Canavan’s opposition to the bill was backed by fellow Queenslanders Gerard Rennick, George Christensen and Terry Young, who all questioned the merits of the package, suggesting equal value should be given to families who had a parent stay at home to raise children, Guardian Australia has been told.
The Liberal MP Celia Hammond argued the package was about providing equality of opportunity for working families and removing barriers for women to reenter the workforce, arguing it was in line with Liberal values.
One male MP angered some female members by suggesting working women were “outsourcing parenting”, multiple sources told Guardian Australia.
According to sources at the meeting, the Liberal MP Hollie Hughes then “fired up” saying: “Thank you, boys, for telling us how to best raise our children.”
“Not all of us want to sit at home with our three-month-old watching Bluey,” she said.
As the debate intensified, the Liberal MP Jason Falinski, who had asked if there would be structural changes to the childcare system, walked out.
The Nationals senator Perin Davey and Victorian MP Katie Allen both spoke up in support of the legislation and reminded colleagues they needed to be respectful of women who chose to return to work.
Allen said in the meeting she thought the legislation was “magnificent”, praising its support for working families who were struggling with the cost of childcare and the move to support free preschool for four-year-olds.
“Young families are already under a great deal of stress and we shouldn’t judge them for their choices,” Allen said, according to sources at the meeting. “This is about offering choice and opportunity.”
The minister for women’s economic security, Jane Hume, told colleagues a study last year found about 100,000 parents were not working because of the prohibitive cost of childcare.
After the meeting, Rennick told Guardian Australia he was “not happy about the bill”.
“We should give a payment to all parents and then they work out how they spend that. Childcare doesn’t help shift workers, it doesn’t help mothers on a farm, or people who do a couple of hours of work but don’t need eight hours of care [the fortnightly minimum to receive childcare subsidies].
“This sector receives $10bn – and it all goes into the pockets of the childcare centre owners and unions.”
Rennick said the government’s policy “shouldn’t distinguish between stay-at-home parents and those that return to work”, noting that while tens of thousands of parents may want to go back to work if childcare subsidies were higher “how many at work would rather stay at home if they had that choice?”
“I understand why many want to go back to work. I understand they don’t want to give up their careers. But this is about choice and basically ensuring equality of choice.”
Canavan told Guardian Australia he was not against childcare funding on principle but said if the government could give childcare subsidies to high-income families, it could also afford to address the tax disadvantages faced by single-income families.
Labor’s childcare spokeswoman, Amanda Rishworth, slammed the government, saying the revelations showed the Coalition was “out of touch” with working families.
“What century are we in, when we have members of the federal government shaming women for using childcare?” Rishworth told Guardian Australia.
“It should not be left to female members of the government to teach their male colleagues why childcare is important for equality. This is just completely archaic and shows how out of touch this government is with the reality of working families.”
