If you have been working there for 2 or more years, my company pays:

14 weeks of fully paid maternity leave
38 weeks of leave at 60% pay

So you get a year off, all told. If you take the 38 weeks at 60% pay you have to sign a "return to work" deed and you will have to pay the money back if you don't return to work for an equivalent time (could be part-time work, though) after you have finished the leave. It's a policy that is clearly aimed at getting mums back into the workforce, and I think it's great by Aussie standards.

If you've been working less than 2 years, you get some entitlements pro rata, not sure of the details.

I thought that in Australia we were all entitled to a year of unpaid maternity leave and then to go back into the same job after that. Maybe I'm confused about this? It's better than nothing.

The baby bonus would work out to $100/week or so, wouldn't it? Not a lot of money. Again, better than nothing, and at least it isn't taxed. I guess that the other family payments and tax benefits would add to that, but this varies a lot from family to family.

MummyPig it is common for people on temporary visas (and even some of the ongoing ones) to be denied access to social benefit schemes of whatever kind. It was the same for me when I was living in the UK: I would not qualify for any benefits if I had applied for some, even though I was allowed to live and work in the country. At present, my husband, who has an ongoing visa, is not allowed to access any centrelink payments in Australia, though hopefully when he gets permanent residency this will change.