Advancing Australia’s Paid Parental Leave Scheme

Last week saw a monumental moment in Australian paid parental leave policies.

Parents At Work CEO, Emma Walsh appeared before Australian Parliament’s Senate Community Affairs Committee to provide insight into the economic and social benefits of implementing world-leading paid parental leave policies for Australia’s 7.3 million working families.

Read the full details of the conversation and submission summary here:

 

Key Points

  • Parents At Work CEO Emma Walsh will today appear before a Senate Committee Inquiry to push for world-leading parental leave policies for Australia’s 7.3 million working families.
  • The advisory group, which supports businesses to implement and embed family-friendly policies, recommends that leave entitlements be increased to 26 paid weeks, with a pathway to reach 52 weeks by 2030, with up to 12 weeks preserved for each parent and to be accessible up to the first 5 years of a childs life to enable greater flexibility. Ms Walsh says these additional measures would help Australian workplaces achieve gender equality targets, faster. 
  • Australia’s paid parental leave measures trail behind comparable nations and must be urgently enhanced to enable Australia to meet its gender equality goals. 
  • If passed as it stands, the Paid Parental Leave Amendment (Improvements for Families and Gender Equality) Bill 2022 would enhance Australia’s paid parental leave laws, by allowing the extended 20-week entitlement to be shared flexibly by parents.

 

20 February (Canberra, ACT) – Parents At Work CEO Emma Walsh appeared before a Senate Committee Inquiry to push for Parliament to enact world-leading policies for Australia’s 7.3 million working families in the Paid Parental Leave Amendment (Improvements for Families and Gender Equality) Bill 2022 (the Bill).

As it stands, the Bill will enhance Australia’s paid parental leave laws, by allowing the extended 20-week entitlement to be shared flexibly by parents. Ms Walsh welcomed the Bill but urged the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee to adopt key amendments to meet global best practices.

Parents At Work, an advisory group that supports businesses to implement and embed family-friendly policies, recommends leave entitlements be increased to 26 paid weeks in the next 12 months, with a pathway to reach 52 weeks by 2030, with up to 12 weeks preserved for each parent and to be accessible up to the first 5 years of a child’s life to enable greater flexibility. Ms Walsh says these additional measures would help Australian workplaces achieve gender equality targets, faster.

“OECD research has shown, Australia’s paid parental leave measures trail behind comparable nations. The Bill is a step in the right direction, but it doesn’t go far enough if Australia is going to meet its gender equality targets and shift the gendered norms that see women expected to take on the lion’s share of caring duties in the workplace and at home.

“The Government’s National Strategy on Gender Equality is designed to drive policies that will make Australia a global leader in gender equality – to achieve this it must implement world-leading parental leave policies,” Ms Walsh said.

Earlier this month, the Federal Government introduced separate legislation requiring employers of more than 100 workers to publish their gender pay gaps. Under the legislation, these employers will be required to report against the gender composition of their workforce and governing bodies, remuneration between women and men and practices relating to flexible work arrangements, among other key metrics. Australia’s national gender pay gap for full-time workers is 14.1 per cent. 

“Australian businesses will be named and shamed if they aren’t meeting gender pay parity. Beyond potential reputational impacts, there are real implications related to employee attraction and retention, and failure to meet evolving customer and funder expectations.

“The adoption of the global best practice approach to parental leave outlined in our submission will be significant in helping Australian workplaces reach their gender equality targets.

“We know equality in the workplace promotes fairness but it’s good for the economy too. We urge the Parliament to commit to a pathway to reach 52 weeks by 2030 to ensure Australian working families and workplaces are given the flexibility and support they need to enable full economic participation, irrespective of gender,” Ms Walsh said.

The amendments were put forward in a joint submission by Parents At Work and Advancing Parental Leave Equality Network (APLEN), a global network of organisations advocating and advancing parental leave equality. 

 

This article first appeared in the Parents At Work newsroom.