***UPDATE: GetUp Campaign for Paid Parental Leave.***
Surprising news: Tony Abbbott is considering adopting 6 months paid parental leave as Coalition policy before this year's election1.
Last year GetUp members helped win a historic commitment from the Government to 18 weeks paid parental leave. But now we have an opportunity to push for the full 6 months that experts tell us is good for babies, good for parents and good for the economy.
There's a good reason the Coalition are considering this: paid parental leave is a popular, vote-winning policy. And if the Coalition outdo Labor's policy, Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard will come under strong pressure to match it this election year.
The Coalition haven't made up their minds - but the leak to media earlier this week means they're floating a test balloon to gauge Australia's reaction, and both sides of politics will be watching carefully. An influx from local voters will show politicians that parental leave is a winner. Can you email your MP, be they Labor, Liberal or Independent, and ask them to back a full 6 month parental leave plan?
Time to Deliver
Both medical experts and the Productivity Commission tell us that parents should have the option of up to 6 months with their newborns. But Kevin Rudd's plan falls short: just 18 weeks paid at minimum wage ($544/week).
The Government assumes parents will use sick and annual leave to make up the remaining 8 weeks, but with so many Australians (particularly women) in the casual workforce these days, few of us accrue 8 weeks of leave. Their scheme is set to come into force next year - but in an election year, there's still a chance we can push them to do even better.
We've been fighting too long and too hard to let this opportunity pass. Last year over 45,000 GetUp members petitioned the Government and ran full-page national ads calling for 6 months of parental leave. Indeed many of us have been pushing this for decades in the women's and union movements. Let's make the most of this unexpected opportunity:
Congratulations on being part of the campaign so far. Just one year ago parental leave seemed a distant possibility, now both sides of politics are scrambling to get onboard: it's a testament to everything we've achieved and a glimpse of more to come.
Thanks for being part of this,
The GetUp team
