The topic of paid parental leave is one that deserves much attention, as it is important for parents to be able to care for their children. When a child is born, the parents should be allowed a certain period of time to focus on their newborn.
The latest news on the matter indicates that the government plans to invest $531.6 million over 4 years. This process starts in 2022 in order to expand parental leave in order to ensure that families have better support. The government announced that single parents will be eligible for up to six months of paid leave and two-parent households will have the choice of how they split the leave.
The goal is to give families access to as much as six months of parental leave. This leave is going to be fully paid and it is set to be rolled out gradually from 1 July 2024 to July 2026. The paid parental leave provision will increase by increments of two weeks each year from 1 July 2024 until July 2026. This is the biggest reform to take place since the introduction of the scheme.
The idea is to make use of a “use it or lose it” system that encourages parents to take their leave when it is available. Both parents can take the leave in specific periods, and they can decide to take the leave in small blocks such as one day or one week while still working in between. The additional leave will benefit parents, newborns and will in turn also help the economy.
Conclusion
This is definitely a great change that allows quality patenting to be easier to achieve. One of the most stressful situations at home is when a child is born and both parents need to be at work. This is never good for the child and this is the reason why the new paid parental leave is such an excellent modification for Australian families.
Cedric has 13+ years of demonstrated experience as a senior HR generalist with a broad commercial and project-driven background within leading global organisations across a range of industries. He is qualified with an MBA from the Australian Institute of Business (AIB), an Advanced Diploma of Management specialising in Human Resources and an HR Consulting – Business Partnering course from the Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI).