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

* required fields

Latest activity

Aja Hani , 2617  /  signed 2015-05-19 07:51:06 +1000
"Parenting is the most important thing. Support our family units!
I’ll tell you a story, Mr Hockey and Mr Abbott. I am a parent. When we were 32 weeks pregnant, we were suddenly ineligible for employer parental leave. And that is when your last lot of changes to this policy came in so we found ourselves with no supported leave!

I became depressed and we both worried for our child, not even born yet, how could we support our new family? We should have been enjoying that last bit of time being pregnant and all glowey, but it was fraught with worries.

After labour, there were a couple of factors that meant a longer healing and adjustment period, as well as me being diagnosed with PND and baby not gaining enough weight.

We were extremely lucky that family members supported us for a whole six months.

We had the time to heal and nurture our growing family. Now we are thriving and back to work. Right now, my eldest is obsessed with waving hello and goodbye to everything. Strangers, friends, trees, toys, anything.

You are parents yourselves, yes? Surely you understand how important it is, what a priority funding parental leave is? Don’t wave goodbye to that just for the shirt political term cycle.

My situation with extended family financial support is very rare. Do not squander our next generation like this!

Excuse me now, I can hear that the baby is awake and ready for us to play with her. And that’s as it should be for many social and developmental reasons. Don’t make this interaction a rare one.

Rights, not privileges! Fund parental leave properly!"
Steph , 3138  /  signed 2015-05-19 03:09:29 +1000
"I am currently on maternity leave. As part of my contract as a nurse in the private sector I am entitled to 10 weeks at full wage from my employer. I work hard looking after people’s loved ones in order to earn that maternity leave, as well as paying my taxes in order to earn the government PPL. This government should be supporting women to have the option to stay at home for longer not forcing them back earlier."
Elena , 3178  /  signed 2015-05-19 00:54:45 +1000
Marian , 6210  /  signed 2015-05-18 22:47:03 +1000
Graham , 5341  /  signed 2015-05-18 21:32:12 +1000
Mary , 6028  /  signed 2015-05-18 20:43:49 +1000
"Neither the Prime Minister, nor the treasurer understand anything about parenting, about bonding with an infant, about the tugging-turmoils mothers endure with a new infant in the house; how exhausting it is to trek into a new day without enough sleep. This cut to parental leave smacks of the industrial crack-pot age and those two men are the new ‘miser – misogynists’."
Anna , 7325  /  signed 2015-05-18 19:39:53 +1000
"Breast feeding / attachment – WHO guidelines"
Erin , 2261  /  signed 2015-05-18 19:02:23 +1000
"Just because an employer looks after their employees doesn’t mean you should shirk your obligation.
What is worse is the title you have slagged is with as double dipping!!
As working mothers paying taxes we contribute to our community, children, adding to our super, whilst paying child care fees (that your generous rebate runs out well before the end of the year) Backwards step."
Sophie , 3796  /  signed 2015-05-18 18:46:07 +1000
"Good adults come from good parenting as a child. Bein forced in to early work is going to create a generation of unhealthy adults!"
Paul , 3754  /  signed 2015-05-18 17:25:12 +1000
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