ID :
22034
Wed, 10/01/2008 - 00:56
Auther :

Maternity debate fantastic, says Macklin

The federal government says it's looking forward to a "fantastic" debate over the design of a taxpayer-funded parental leave scheme, but there are already signs it could prove to be fantastically difficult.

The Productivity Commission on Monday recommended the commonwealth adopt a 20-week parental leave scheme in which new parents would receive up to $12,000 following the birth of a child. But lobby groups say 18 weeks for mothers and two weeks for fathers, or vice-versa, isn't enough and are pushing for six months of paid leave.
Unions NSW and the Australian Greens are urging Labor to pay 26 weeks' leave, saying that is the minimum needed to allow adequate support for parents and their babies.

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young, a young mother herself, said working parents needed six months off "to enjoy a healthy and happy experience of birth and bonding".

The Public Health Association also argues mums should be paid at the average weekly wage, not the minimum wage of $544 as proposed by the commission. The federal government says it's committed to introducing some form of compulsory parental leave but won't commit to a model until it's assessed the commission's final report, due to be handed down in February.

Families Minister Jenny Macklin says the commission's draft report is "already generating a fantastic level of debate about the type of paid parental scheme we are going to have".
"The good news for parents is ... it's not if, it's how we're going to do it," she told reporters at a daycare centre in Sydney.

On the appropriate amount of leave, she said: "Well, all of these questions are now
open for debate."
Ms Macklin repeatedly reminded journalists that Monday's proposal was only a "draft
report".
But in a sign employer groups might not get too sympathetic a hearing over their
concerns, Ms Macklin insisted parental leave was "good for business".
Employers, who are being asked to contribute $75 million a year in superannuation
payments, say they will essentially be the paymasters of the scheme.
That's because they'll finance the payments to parents, estimated at $450 million a
year, before being reimbursed by the government.
But Ms Macklin says the business community must realise it costs money to lose
employees due to a lack of leave assistance.
"If people leave the workforce because they don't have any connection with their
employer, the employer then has to retrain someone else," she said.
"So it's very important that employers do recognise that it's good for business."
Nationals senator Barnaby Joyce said small business operators would bear "an unknown
and unbudgeted risk" under paid maternity leave.
"These are tough times and trying to budget a contingency plan for would-be mums
will make the task even harder," Senator Joyce said in a statement.
Deputy opposition leader Julie Bishop said while taxpayer-funded maternity leave was
inevitable, it was important the scheme didn't discourage employers from taking on
women.
"Clearly, the scheme should be balanced in the interests of employers and
employees," she said.


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