PAID MATERNITY LEAVE

SIGN OUR PETITION calling for the implementation of paid maternity leave in Australia Sign the petition online Download a printable version [pdf] JOIN our email list or SUBSCRIBE to our Families and Children eBulletin RELATED CAMPAIGNS Women's Rights Watch Reproductive Rights Pregnancy counselling - false providers Our Record in the Senate

On February 17, the new Labor Government followed through with their election promise, releasing the Terms of Reference for a Productivity Commission Inquiry into paid maternity, paternity and parental leave. The Australian Democrats have expressed concern over the length of the inquiry, given the Commission is not due to report back until February 2009, but are hopeful it will lead to Government action on the issue. Senator Natasha Stott Despoja told the inquiry on May 20 that fourteen weeks Government-funded leave at the minimum wage would be affordable without burdening small business, and ensure all eligible female employees have a paid maternity leave safety-net. Read more on the Senator's evidence Last year, the Australian Democrats re-introduced historic federal legislation to establish a paid maternity leave scheme that would provide all working women with 14 weeks Government-funded leave at the minimum wage on the birth or adoption of a child. Download our postcard The Workplace Relations (Guaranteeing Paid Maternity Leave) Amendment Bill 2007 amends the Workplace Relations Act 1996 and builds upon the existing provisions for unpaid parental leave, to provide for a system of paid maternity leave that will assist all eligible Australian working women to take time off from their employment upon the birth or adoption of a child. Without a minimum national standard for PML across the board, Australian women have been left with no other option than to bargain for paid leave entitlements at the workplace level – and are at the mercy of whether their workplaces provide paid maternity leave. Senator Natasha Stott Despoja has led the parliamentary campaign for paid maternity leave, introducing in 2002 Australia's first (and only) paid maternity leave legislation, which would give all working women access to 14 weeks Government-funded leave at the minimum wage on the birth of a child. Yet, despite the efforts of the Democrats, Australia remains one of only two OECD countries that do not have paid maternity leave (the other is the US). Unlike paid maternity leave, the government’s Baby Bonus does nothing to prevent women being forced back to work days or weeks after giving birth. Nor does it encourage workplace attachment or allow superannuation payments to continue throughout the leave period. photo courtesy of www.lavenderbluephoto.com According to the Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency, provisions for paid maternity leave should be seen as a financial edge for businesses not a burden, with those currently offering it experiencing a 19% higher return rate from maternity leave than those businesses which do not offer it1. While there has been concern in some areas of business about the potential costs of paid maternity leave, this Bill does not propose an employer-funded scheme of paid maternity leave, recognising the burden it would place on small businesses. A paid maternity leave scheme allows women to maintain their attachment to the labour force and also promotes retention of the skills and knowledge that they bring to the workforce. In recognising the importance of women’s attachment to the labour force, and allowing for the continuation of superannuation payments throughout the period of leave, a paid maternity leave scheme relieves the pressure experienced by women to minimise time taken after the birth, or adoption of a child. 76% of Australians want paid maternity leave, and it's now up to the Labor Party to prove its commitment to Australian families, and introduce government-funded paid maternity leave. 1. ‘Leading the way: EOWA Employers of Choice fro Women’ Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency 23 May 2007 You can download a copy of the following: > Senator Stott Despoja’s Private Senator’s Bill Workplace Relations (Guaranteeing Paid Maternity Leave) Amendment Bill 2007 > Senator Stott Despoja’s second reading speech An electronic copy of Senator Stott Despoja’s 2002 Bill, and the Senate Committee report can also be downloaded here. What you can do! Sign the Democrats' petition calling for the implementation of paid maternity leave in Australia: > Sign the petition online or > Download a printable version of the petition [pdf] Other links National Foundation for Australian Women's campaign for paid maternity leave: nfaw.org/social/maternity