Children, Parents and Families Will Benefit From New Expanded Parental Leave in Australia
07 March 2023 – Minderoo Foundation’s Thrive by Five and Gender Equality initiatives have welcomed the Federal Government’s legislation increasing paid parental leave entitlements (PPL) for Australian families.
The Bill passed will boost PPL from 18 weeks to 20 weeks from 1 July 2023, with two weeks subject to a ‘use it or lose it’ basis for each parent. Minister Amanda Rishworth said the government will introduce further legislation to increase PPL entitlements by two weeks each year until it reaches 26 weeks by 2026.
Thrive by Five’s Early Learning Monitor polling, conducted in late 2022, found 80 per cent
of parents of children under school age believe there should be an increase in government-funded paid parental leave. [1]
Thrive by Five’s Director, Jay Weatherill said, “The Federal Government’s PPL changes better reflect the reality of modern families and will provide parents with greater flexibility to navigate caring responsibilities.
“Our policies have for long been out of touch with modern society and with modern parenting. And this legislation will help us adapt our policies to be better suited for families and promote better gender equity, he said
Gender Equality’s Director, Jess Taylor said, “Extending parental leave entitlements and making them more flexible is in the best interests of parents, especially women who still undertake the majority of caring responsibilities.
“However, these changes still don’t go far enough in ensuring men are actively supported to take PPL and share the caring role within families.
“We have recently called on the Federal Government as part of its review of PPL to implement a scheme that increases the paid leave period to 52 weeks, raises the rate of pay to at least 50 per cent of the average pre-birth wage with eligibility caps for high-income households, pays the superannuation component and reserves at least 14 weeks for each parent with the rest to be shared as the parents choose,” she said.
