Coalition's paid parental program may mean mothers would miss out on jobs Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's paid parental leave plan may see a bias against women job applicants, Business SA says. A COALITION paid parental leave plan would give employers a reason not to employ females, Business SA says. Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's "signature policy" is to pay women their full wage for 26 weeks, capped at $150,000. It will be funded by a 1.5 per cent levy on the nation's biggest businesses. Liberal backbencher Alex Hawke attacked the scheme, saying the levy was an impost and the scheme itself didn't pass the "fair go test." Abbott under pressure over leave policy Business SA chief Nigel McBride said the Government's existing policy of 18 weeks leave at minimum pay was generous enough and is worried that the unintended side effect of the Coalition plan would be to entrench bias against hiring women. "I would fear that with this kind of cost employers may start to be biased towards male applicants, which is not a good outcome," he said. It's yet another reason not to employ, and not to employ a female because of the serious business interruption. Senior Liberal figures yesterday defended the scheme. Mr Abbott, who scrapped a plan to offset the levy with a 1.5 per cent tax cut for businesses but has committed to a "modest" cut, told a radio station he was "totally committed" to the leave scheme. Opposition treasury spokesman Joe Hockey echoed the commitment, and Education Minister Christopher Pyne said the Coalition had "embraced" the scheme.