Hey there

You're right, Australia does not have a government-sponsored paid maternity leave policy, yet. They are looking at changing that.

When I started my new job (Feb this year) I looked carefully for a company that was family friendly and had a good mat leave policy in place as I knew I'd be starting a family soon. The company I have ended up with has no waiting period in place for mat leave eligibility (some places have a 12 month eligibility period), they offer 12 weeks mat leave at full pay that you can take at half pay for 24 weeks, then you can extend up to 2 years unpaid.

They are also extremely open to flexible returning to work - part time, working from home, etc.

I'd recommend looking for somewhere to work that is family-friendly, like I did. That's the best option while we wait to see if the government-funded scheme is put into place.

Good luck and welcome to Australia. I promise it is a great place to live!!!