Paid Maternity Leave in Australia

Penny — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:09:43 -0600

Currently, two thirds of Australian women have no access to paid leave when they have children. Australia and the United States are the only two OECD countries that do not offer paid maternity leave.

Earlier this year, the Productivity Commission was asked by the Federal Government to inquire into the potential introduction of Paid Maternity Leave in Australia.

Paid maternity leave is important because it provides financial support to allow time for mothers to recover physically from the birth and bond with her baby. There are also economic benefits. The ACTU points out that:

According to employers, the cost of replacing staff - including recruitment and skills acquisition - appears to be at least $10,000, and more for higher salary/skilled areas.
Overseas experience shows that women with paid maternity leave are more likely to return to work (up to 90%) than those without, giving employers a real saving on the bottom line.

UnionsNSW is petitioning the Federal Government for six months paid maternity leave. They're asking the Government for:

a legislated, government funded system of six months universal paid maternity leave, available to all mothers irrespective of whether they are casual, full time, contractors or stay at home mums. It should also be able to be accessed by parents who are assuming the primary carer role.

You can support their campaign by signing the online petition and adding a person message.

Submissions to the Productivity Commission's inquiry closed on 2 June, but you can follow the progress of the inquiry on the Productivity Commission's website: http://www.pc.gov.au/inquiry/parentalsupport