Malta is facing a demographic reality that can no longer be ignored. Our fertility rate has fallen to historic lows, placing growing strain on the country's long-term sustainability, workforce, and social systems. This challenge cannot be addressed through isolated measures or last-minute reactions. It requires a serious, forward-looking strategy, one that recognises the diverse realities of modern families and understands that work, family life, taxation and social policy are deeply interconnected.

For years, the Nationalist Party has consistently argued that paternity leave, maternity leave, parental leave, flexible and remote working, and family-friendly taxation are not standalone benefits. They are essential pillars of a wider strategy designed to give couples the confidence, financial, professional and social, to start or grow a family. There is no single policy that offers a universal solution. What Malta needs is a realistic, holistic package of measures that work together. Unfortunately, many of these proposals were dismissed, criticised or downplayed by the Labour government. Today, several of the same ideas are being adopted,  late, piecemeal, and without a coherent framework.

This is not about political point-scoring. It is positive that the government is finally acknowledging realities that families have been experiencing for years. But it also highlights a deeper weakness in policymaking: reacting to pressure instead of anticipating it, and introducing fragmented measures instead of long-term strategy.

Take paternity and parental leave. Since the introduction of the EU Work-Life Balance Directive four years ago, the Nationalist Party has argued that meaningful leave is essential; not only to support families during the crucial early months, but to promote shared responsibility, strengthen family bonds, and allow women to return to work without being penalised. The PN proposed extending maternity and parental leave to a full year, paid at the median wage, a level that encourages parents to take leave rather than discouraging them from doing so. At the time, this was criticised as unrealistic. Today, the principle behind it is increasingly accepted.

The same applies to flexible and remote working. Long before the pandemic reshaped working culture, the PN highlighted how flexibility could help parents balance careers, reduce stress and improve productivity. Yet instead of building on these lessons, the Labour Government chose to restrict remote working to just 20% of the working week. In a country where traffic congestion, long commuting times and extended working hours place heavy pressure on families, this approach is short-sighted. What was once dismissed as impractical is now being reintroduced as progressive,  years too late.

Family-friendly policies, however, cannot exist in isolation. That is why the Nationalist Party also proposed the Parent-2 tax rate, recognising households where parents are raising children, sharing responsibilities, and contributing to society in ways that go far beyond formal employment. This proposal directly addresses one of the biggest deterrents to parenthood in Malta: financial insecurity. It was, in fact, the PN that introduced the first parental tax rate years ago, having already identified the warning signs of a declining birth rate.

Today's demographic data confirms those concerns. In just over a decade, motherhood in Malta has shifted decisively from the twenties to the thirties, and increasingly into the forties. The average maternal age has risen from 29 to almost 32. Teenage births have declined sharply, while women over 35 now account for a quarter of all deliveries. This is not a coincidence. Rising living costs, housing prices and uncertainty have made family life feel like a risk rather than a natural choice.

What is particularly troubling is that the government has all the tools at its disposal:  data, institutions, experts and public funds, to identify these trends early and act decisively. Yet time and again, proposals are dismissed when they come from the Opposition, only to be reintroduced later under a different label. This approach wastes valuable time, time Malta does not have when it comes to demographic decline.

Low fertility is not merely a social issue; it is a national and economic one. Without a sustainable population structure, Malta risks long-term labour shortages, increased pressure on pensions and healthcare, and growing dependence on short-term fixes. Immigration policy alone cannot be the answer, especially when entire sectors risk becoming fully dependent on foreign labour. What Malta needs is the largest-ever investment in families, so they are empowered, not pressured.

Malta deserves better than policy by imitation. It deserves leadership that anticipates challenges rather than reacts to them, and a government that listens before crises force its hand. The ideas being discussed today are not new. They have been on the table for years. What is needed now is the courage to implement them properly, as part of one coherent vision for work, family and the future.

Because supporting families is not an expense. It is an investment in Malta's tomorrow.

Ivan Castillo is Shadow Minister for Employment, Maritime Affairs and Aviation