25 years since CEDAW – still no paid maternity leave

While celebrating 25 years since Australia ratified the United Nations' Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), NFAW still sees the need for greater efforts to eliminate gender discrimination. 

Australia can be proud of improvements over the past twenty-five years, but not complacent. The gender wage gap is too large, women's retirement savings are shockingly low compared to those of men, and there is no system of paid maternity or parental leave.

The NFAW encourages the Government to develop a National Action Plan for Women, building on the report of the Sex Discrimination Commissioner's Listening Tour, and to commit to implementing the recommendations of the Productivity Commission on a national system of paid maternity, paternity and parental leave.

Article 11(2)(b) of CEDAW requires countries to provide paid maternity leave or comparable social benefits as an important way of removing discrimination against women in employment. In May this year, the government announced its intention to undertake national consultations with State and Territory governments on whether this Article should be ratified.

The NFAW sponsored Newspoll survey in July 2007 showed an overwhelming 76% of Australians support paid maternity leave. In November 2007, the Labor government honoured its pre-election promise to ask the Productivity Commission to examine ways of improving support for parents in the work force, and set up the Inquiry into Paid Maternity, Paternity and Parental Leave.

This Inquiry is due to report in February 2009.

NFAW sincerely hopes that the 26th anniversary (July 2009) of Australia's ratification of CEDAW will give Australian working women a lot more to celebrate than the 25th anniversary.

Media inquiries to: Marie Coleman, Chair of NFAW Social Policy Committee on 02 6248 6937