Stop cuts to working parents' time to care

UPDATE - GREAT NEWS: After two years of powerful campaigning by Fair Agenda members and other concerned community members, the cuts to paid parental leave have been taken out of the federal budget. It's a really important reprieve for the tens of thousands of working families who stood to lose precious time to care if these cuts had gone ahead.

But - the fight may not be over. If the Government have shown us anything over the past two years, it's that they don't give up on these cuts easily -- so Fair Agenda will keep a watching brief on this issue.

But right now, Fair Agenda's work to secure an election commitment from the Nick Xenophon Team - and to hold them to account for that promise - are the key factor that are stopping these cuts going ahead. So thank you to all those Fair Agenda members who made calls, sent emails, met with their Senators, helped secure election commitments, and funded research to help stop these cuts. You can read more about the impact of our campaigning together here.

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The Turnbull Government have just announced their *fourth* attempt to cut our paid parental leave system. They're trying to sell this new proposal as a boost for parents; but in reality they're making a boost for some parents entirely contingent on cutting the time tens of thousands of other working parents can afford to spend caring for their newborns, and planning on stripping $750 million from the system overall.

It's a proposal that would pit working parents against each other, and drag our system backwards. It would also cap the total combined leave available to eligible parents at 20 weeks -- well below the 26 weeks postnatal leave experts recommend for health and welfare outcomes.

The fate of these cuts will be decided by the Senate crossbench, with The Nick Xenophon Team expected to have the critical casting votes. Community campaigning has stopped the Turnbull Government from getting their plans to cut paid parental leave through the previous parliament. 

It's critical we show the Senate crossbench that the community oppose these cuts; and want them to stop these cruel cuts to new families. Can you sign the petition to join the campaign?

Find out more about the new cuts

Experts say that 26 weeks post-natal leave is the minimum needed for health and welfare reasons.

Right now, any eligible parent can access 18 weeks of leave at the minimum wage, and then top that up with any leave they’ve negotiated into their employment contract, to cover costs while they care for their newborn.

The system was designed to be used in combination; to allow more women to access the recommended 26+ weeks leave. For many women, the leave negotiated into their employment agreement has been bargained in lieu of additional pay or other leave provisions. 

In their latest proposal the Government is once again trying to punish these women – by cutting their access to government leave if they want to access the employer leave they’ve negotiated. It means that instead of acting as a floor, the period of government provided leave would instead becomes a ceiling.

To be clear, there are some positive aspects of this latest proposal:

  • The amount of government provided leave would be increased from 18 to 20 weeks at the minimum wage (still well below the 26 weeks recommended by experts). This would be good news for working parents without access to employer leave.
  • A change in the ‘activity test’ that determines would also see an increase in the number of parents eligible to access parental leave. And if these increases were all that was on the table – it would be good news...
  • But both these changes would both be contingent on cutting the leave available for 72,000 other families.  

In short, the crux of this proposal is still a cut. One that’s estimated to tear $600-$750 million out of the parental leave system, and to slash the amount of time thousands of workers like nurses, retail workers and ambos can afford to spend caring for their newborn. In fact, it’s estimated that under this new proposal 68,000 families with a median income of $62,000 a year would lose an average of $5,600.[2]

 

-Find out more -

1. Is this the winning compromise on paid parental leave, Women’s Agenda, 21 November 2016.

2. Samantha Maiden: Breakthrough looms on parental leave pay, Daily Telegraph, 20 November 2016.

Paid parental leave: Nick Xenophon warned not to pit working mums against each other, Sydney Morning Herald, 20 November 2016. 

29,038 SIGNATURES

It's hard enough caring for a newborn without being forced back to work early. Please don't cut working parents' right to the existing 18 weeks government paid parental leave. 

Signed,

Fair Agenda will email petition signers from time to time with important updates

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Latest activity

Joanne , 3978  /  signed 2015-05-14 06:14:37 +1000
"I have based my child’s care around being able to have 9mths with her to care for her not force her into child care however if this goes through i will have to return early which will put massive financial strain on me as well as the trauma of trying to find a child care place which i wont get as i did not put her name down 12mths ago before i was pregnant. As for being $30 per wk better off with the child care insentive do these people have any idea how expensive child care is per day!"
Kylie , 3802  /  signed 2015-05-14 06:08:41 +1000
"The ability of a mother to look after her baby full time is sacrosanct in those first few months. Obstructing babies and mothers’ access to one another is a despicable perversion of nature and incredibly ill-conceived in terms of the longer term interests of the entire country. Not only because of the utterly mean spirited and ignorant message it sends about the value of motherhood and family, but because of the psychological and, at times, physical damage that will no doubt rise in a population where babies are outsourced."
Geraldine , 4551  /  signed 2015-05-14 06:02:10 +1000
"Need to be able to pay my mortgage and breastfeed my baby"
Alisha , 3977  /  signed 2015-05-14 06:00:26 +1000
"I am lucky enough to have some paid leave also from my employer however I cannot afford leave without pay so without it I would be back at work sooner spending less valuable time with my new borne son and even so I only get a measly 8months with him. I have worked hard for 17 years and paid my taxes it’s nice to have a little help from my government. Why not take the money from the countless dole bludgers out there that see government assistance as a lifestyle choice becausegGod forbid they have to work for a living."
Rachael , 5710  /  signed 2015-05-14 05:57:30 +1000
Leah , 3978  /  signed 2015-05-14 05:55:59 +1000
"bringing children into the world is stressful enough, families don’t need the added stress of no help from government on top of that. The 18 weeks of paid parental leave is a blessing and more families should get to experience that……don’t cut the paid parental leave!"
Laura , 3216  /  signed 2015-05-14 05:54:57 +1000
"this leave is integral for the health of my baby and myself! I only could afford to take 9 months leave last year and still feel guilty about it."
Claire , 4810  /  signed 2015-05-14 05:38:09 +1000
"We have enough developmental and social issues in children largely due to ‘absent’ or ‘busy’ parents. Why add so much stress to an already stressed nation?"
Nerilee , 2620  /  signed 2015-05-14 05:25:46 +1000
naomi , 5255  /  signed 2015-05-14 05:05:49 +1000
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