Add your voice: Expand paid parental leave

Expanded paid parental leave essential to gender equality

Women already face multiple forms of gender inequality at work. Expanding Australia’s paid parental leave scheme is a crucial step forward for fairer workplaces.

• Expand to 26 weeks – up to 52 weeks by 2030 – with incentives for shared parenting.
• Replace the categories of “primary” and “secondary” carer, with a common category of “parent”.
• Pay the leave at the level of a replacement wage or the full time national minimum wage (whichever is higher).
• Pay superannuation with the leave.
• Ensure workers can access Parental Leave entitlements.
• Prevent discrimination against parents who seek to return to work.

Why is this important?

It will reduce the gender pay gap

The Australian paid parental leave scheme is falling short for the support working parents need. As it stands, it is only 18 weeks paid at the national minimum wage rate. With women more likely to take the leave, this sets them even further behind in pay.

A boost women’s superannuation

There is no superannuation paid on paid parental leave. This is one of the reasons why working women will retire with almost half the superannuation savings their male counterparts.

Bring parental leave in line with modern work and families

How we work and what our families look like have evolved over time. But while these important facets to our lives have changed drastically, the laws covering work and workers have not kept up.