This submission is being made by the National Foundation for Australian Women (NFAW).

NFAW is dedicated to promoting and protecting the interests of Australian women, including intellectual, cultural, political, social, economic, legal, industrial and domestic spheres, and ensuring that the aims and ideals of the women’s movement and its collective wisdom are handed on to new generations of women. NFAW is a feminist organisation, independent of party politics and working in partnership with other women’s organisations.

Recommendations

The Government’s commitments to extend PPL to 26 weeks should be included in the Bill.

As the overall length of PPL periods increase to 2026, fathers and partners should be actively encouraged to access the PPL provisions, through effective and targeted campaigns, and in particular by increasing the ‘use it or lose it’ period.

The Bill should provide that, as the PPL scheme extends to 26 weeks by 2026, concurrent leave should be restricted to two weeks, while the reserved period should extend to six weeks for each parent.

The Government should increase the rate of pay either to wage replacement or the average weekly ordinary time earnings, whichever is the lesser.

The Bill should be amended to include Superannuation Guarantee payments on parental leave payments, as the scheme was initially envisaged.

The Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Act 1992 should be amended to include Paid Parental Leave as ordinary time earnings.

As part of the consequential amendments in the Bill, the NES should be amended to provide that a person who has been employed for 10 out of the preceding 13 months has the right to return to work at the same or an equivalent position as the position they held before going on leave.

The Australian Government should formally ratify the ILO Maternity Protection Convention, 2000 (No. 183).

The Bill should include a provision requiring a review of the legislation to assess progress towards the objects of the Act, in particular the gender equality objects, after three years of operation of the Bill.

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