Barnaby oversees explosive argument

A joint Coalition party-room meeting on Tuesday, the first chaired by new Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, erupted over the government’s planned $1.7bn childcare subsidy boost.

Nationals senator Matt Canavan led a charge to oppose the scheme unless it came with support for parents caring for their children at home.

Another MP sparked anger by describing childcare subsidies as “outsourcing parenting”, according to The Guardian.

The comment prompted Liberal senator Hollie Hughes to sarcastically thank the “boys” for “telling us how best to raise our kids”.

Ms Hughes on Wednesday confirmed “someone speaking to journos was taking thorough notes” but did not confirm details of the meeting.

“They were reasonably accurate on some of the conversations that were had,” she told the ABC.

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“It goes across the board for the Liberal Party, in particular, but certainly with the National Party when we have a joint party room. There’s a robust discussion and an exchange of ideas. That’s what occurred yesterday. It has occurred before, it will occur again, and it’s great.”

But Ms Hughes lashed MPs who framed parenthood as solely the responsibility of the mother.

“This is not just women. We seem to have an issue in this country when we talk about childcare that we automatically go to: This is a women’s issue. It’s not; this is a families issue,” she said.

Labor Treasury spokesman Jim Chalmers said the “offensive” remark showed the “dinosaurs” had already been emboldened under Mr Joyce’s leadership.

“I think a lot of working families right around the country would be incredibly disappointed to see the dinosaurs are in charge again in the National Party and in the Coalition more broadly,” he told reporters on Wednesday.

The federal government announced a plan to cut childcare bills for families with two or more children in the May budget, with the government to cover their out-of-pocket expenses by up to 95 per cent.

Ms Hughes argued the subsidy boost would provide families with the flexibility to return to work if it suited them, allowing them to “make their own choices about how they raise their kids”.

“There are a lot of people who choose to go back to work because they’re not, dare I say it, cut out to sit at home and watch Bluey. Some people want to go back to work and re-engage with their career,” she said.

“It’s not about choosing whether or not you want to stay at home or whether you want to go back to work. It’s about ensuring if you go back to work, more of that money staying in your pocket if you have more than a couple of kids.”

Women on average retire with significantly less superannuation than men, and Ms Hughes said encouraging them to return to work easier would reduce that disparity.

The return of Mr Joyce, who has a chequered history with women, has sparked concern among some female Nationals MPs.

Ms Hughes said Mr Joyce “injects a little more drama” onto the scene but would not be drawn into “commenting on another party’s leadership”.

“It’s a matter for the National Party. They have voted on who their leader is,” she said.