The 14th Women, Management and Employment Relations Conference, Sydney, 25 to 26 July 2002, will feature two presentations on paid maternity leave. Sex Discrimination Commissioner, Pru Goward, has put the issue at the top of her agenda. Her particular concern is that Australia has failed to provide adequate paid leave for women on maternity.
The Workplace Relations Act provides for 52 weeks of unpaid leave. Commonwealth and some state public servants are entitled to up to 12 weeks paid leave and there are various, mostly less generous arrangements in the private sector. On 1 November 2001, New South Wales Local Governments introduced nine weeks paid maternity.
Paid maternity leave is one option that must be explored by employers concerned to attract and retain high quality employees.
New Zealand Minister of Women’s & Youth Affairs, Laila Harré, will address the Conference on developments in her country. The New Zealand Government has enacted legislation providing for 12 weeks paid maternity leave for approximately two thirds of working women. This comes into effect in July 2002.
Chair of the UK’s Equal Opportunities Commission, Julie Mellor, will also be presenting at the Conference and will join in this discussion. Maternity leave in the UK has recently been increased to 26 weeks, with the remaining 26 weeks taken as unpaid leave.
What steps are Australian governments and employers prepared to take to assist employees following child birth? It is easy to deliver rhetoric about the ‘importance of our employees’ and ‘work-life balance’ but action to increase paid maternity leave significantly would send a powerful and welcome message, and enable Australia to move from the back of the queue.
For further information, contact Pam Morpeth on (02) 9850 8985, email pam.morpeth@gsm.mq.edu.au or visit www.gsm.mq.edu.au/lmaf
