To ensure the nation has sufficient workers, it is essential that women are employed and properly paid. Women have always worked but their contribution to the national economy has been mostly ignored. Without women in the nursing and teaching professions the nation would be unable to continue as a First World Nation. As the baby boomer generation reaches retirement age, it is essential that women are encouraged to remain in the workforce.
Paid Maternity/Parental Leave should be available to all women in the paid workforce. It should be available as an entitlement for casual, part time and self employed women as well as full time workers.
It should comprise at least 14 weeks paid by the Federal Government at the level of the minimum wage.
The wage may be topped up by employer contributions negotiated by unions or individual mothers.
Paid Parental Leave is similar to superannuation paid to aid a person's financial situation at retirement and is a mandatory contribution by employers and attracts a tax benefit paid by the Federal Government.
The Federal Productivity Commission is examining the issue so we suggest all men and women should send an email to parentalsupport@pc.gov.au to lobby the Productivity Commission for this important advance for women workers.
WEL Australia is suggesting we all send messages to our politicians to ensure that the budget funds paid Maternity/Parental leave.
The following message can be copied or sections taken from it, or you can send emails by clicking on the purple tag at the bottom of this page.
The Federal Government has been dropping hints that the introduction of Paid Parental Leave is going to be just too expensive to introduce in the 2009 budget because of the current financial environment.
The Rudd Labor Government was elected with the promise to refer this long overdue entitlement to the Productivity Commission, with Mr Rudd since indicating that “it’s time to bite the bullet” on this issue. After extensive consultation, the Productivity Commission recommended in its draft report the introduction of 18 weeks’ publicly funded leave paid at the minimum wage rate, plus two weeks for partners on a take it or lose it basis.
While these Productivity Commission’s recommendations do not meet the more desirable target of 26 weeks leave, they represent a major progressive leap forward by recognising that caring for babies is a workplace issue for both women and men.
The economic arguments against PPL just don’t stack up. The stated costs of introducing paid parental leave is substantially reduced with the redirection of existing entitlements such as the baby bonus. In effect, the first 13 weeks of the scheme can be covered through the transfer of existing expenditure.
There are economic benefits in increasing participation rates of women in the workforce and in retaining skilled workers. The recommended approach by the Productivity Commission in its draft report is particularly welcome in targeting lower paid and vulnerable workers.
Above all, this is an issue that goes to the heart of social justice and quality of life for women and their families, especially the most vulnerable.
We have this message for the Federal Government: failing to introduce Paid Parental Leave in some form in this budget will be seen as breaking faith with the women of Australia. We urge you to DO SOMETHING NOW about it.
Federal Sex Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick welcomes the Productivity Commission enquiry into a taxpayer-funded paid maternity leave scheme, saying it is still high on the agenda for women. The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) recommends as a minimum a government-funded 14 week scheme paid at the level of the federal minimum wage.
Commissioner Broderick says that small business should not be adversely impacted by the cost or administrative burden of any scheme, causing disincentives to the employment of women. Also that workforce attachment is critical for women - they bear children, give birth and breastfeed and they can neither recover not breastfeed satisfactorily if they are rushed back to work in order to pay bills.
Australia should be brought into line as a matter of urgency with the International Labor Organisation (ILO) standard that countries should provide at least 14 weeks of paid parental leave. Australia remains one of only two OECD countries that do not have a paid parental leave system.
An extensive survey on Parental Leave has been released by the University of Sydney and the University of Queensland. CLICK here to read the report, which highlights the importance of extending paid leave provisions.
Click here to read the Submission to the Productivity Commission by Women's Electoral Lobby Australia. It is Submission No. 111 in the Productivity Commission website www.pc.gov.au/inquiry/parentalsupport. WEL appeared before the Productivity Commission in Sydney on 20 May 2008.
Click here to read http://www.apo.org.au/webboard/comment_results.chtml?filename_num=266750. This article "Blind to Gender?" by Canberra academic and WEL member, Marian Sawer, in the Australian Policy Online website, presents the compelling case for Paid Parental Leave.
Recently Senator Sarah Hanson-Young (Greens, S.A.) told Channel 10 that she is introducing a Private Members' Bill in the Senate to support a Government funded Paid Parental Leave Scheme. She says this will be short term stimulus for the economy, will be an investment in healthy families and will place a value on parenthood. This should be seen as a workplace entitlement, along with the World Health Organisation which sets a 26 week standard (28 in Canada, 47 in Sweden, 37 in UK).
Then lobby your federal politicians by sending an email to them.
Click on the purple box below to select and send an email.