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

Teagan , 4551  /  signed 2015-05-11 20:01:06 +1000
Amber , 3220  /  signed 2015-05-11 20:01:03 +1000
Nicole , 2281  /  signed 2015-05-11 20:01:00 +1000
"if I’m made to return to work early due to being unable to claim the paid parental leave in addition to my work maternity leave – I fear I will have to wean my baby from breastfeeding early as opposed to being able to be at home and breastfeed up until 12 months when I would return to work"
Joanna , 2340  /  signed 2015-05-11 20:00:57 +1000
"I have a right to obtain PPL as well as the maternity benefit my work pays me. Why should my family and I be penalised because I choose to be at home with my newborn and receive the same benefit as every other family is entitled too."
dimity , 4012  /  signed 2015-05-11 20:00:43 +1000
Rebecca , 3249  /  signed 2015-05-11 20:00:17 +1000
nicola , 2103  /  signed 2015-05-11 19:59:45 +1000
"im a working mother and also a business owner .With housing prices so high how can people afford to live this affects everyone."
Louise , 4817  /  signed 2015-05-11 19:59:40 +1000
"This is bull, they aren’t double dipping! It is a part of their contract with their employer and it an incentive to work for that institution. Why would a working mother who may own 40,000 get less maternity leave then a working mother who earns 100,000 only because paid maternity leave it included within her contract when the higher earning mother doesn’t have that inuded how she still gets her 18 weeks l paid leave. Shame on them, minister for women my arse!"
Kathryn , 3429  /  signed 2015-05-11 19:59:25 +1000
"i am an a new mum. Who worked for 8 years full time before receiving both employee payments and government payments. This allowed me to bond with my daughter as well as re coup mentally after struggling with post natal depression and extreme sleep deprivation. I would of had to resign and be unemployed if I had to go back any earlier than I have. The money I received really only allowed me to get my bare essentials such as food formula nappies etc. I was still behind on bills etc as it is not a great deal of money. Taking this away would see massive struggles for women and families."
Emma , 5159  /  signed 2015-05-11 19:59:24 +1000
"Being a mother already struggling financially due to childcare costs and the lack of decent employment opportunities for both my partner and myself this is another massive slap in the face! I fail to see how we can be expected to provide a decent life for our children with all of these recent cuts! This is getting ridiculous!"
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