You know who is super greedy? Mothers of newborns.
They try and hide their true nature behind drooping eyelids, unwashed hair and rounded tummies but the Government knows the truth. Mums of newborns aren’t in it for the love. They’re in it for the cash.
They’re in it for the sweet, sweet minimum wage dollars.
You might recall that on Mother’s Day last year, then-Treasurer Joe Hockey accused new mothers of ‘double dipping’. Mr Hockey wasn’t referring to a breadstick and gooey cheese scenario - he was talking about paid parental leave. He and Prime Minister Tony Abbott wanted to make some seriously big changes to the way the government financially supports new mums.
Is our ‘double dipping’ boring you Mr Hockey?! Source: NewsCorp Australia
Exit stage left
Now, Mr Hockey has since exited the political stage for a job in Washington DC but his snacking analogy has remained as part of our social vernacular. Mr Abbott and his Government have also been relegated to the history books but it turns out that the greedy double dipping mums of newborns are still very much on the political agenda.
Yep, hold onto your feeding bras ladies because Mr Turnbull’s government have decided to put the issue back on the table. And if you’re pregnant or planning to be pregnant (or care about anyone who is pregnant or planning to be pregnant), then it’s crucial you understand what is being proposed.
Calm down ladies, calm down. Don’t get your maternity bras in a twist Source: NewsCorp Australia
So let’s break it down, shall we?
Australian law currently allows the primary carer of a new baby (the mother in the overwhelming majority of cases) 18 weeks of government funded paid parental leave. This is paid at the minimum wage, which at the moment is a little over $670 per week. Some 700,000 odd families have benefited from this assistance since it was first introduced back in 2011.
Some employers (still far too few) also offer paid parental leave schemes of their own. That means parents are able to access assistance from their employers as well as the government and be supported to spend even more time at home with the new addition to their family.
Under the Government’s plan, this would all change. They propose that parents who receive less than 18 weeks paid leave from their employer, will be topped up by the government to the 18 week mark. Parents who receive no support from their employer will receive the same benefit they do now and parents who receive more than 18 weeks leave from their employer would get nothing.
It’s baaaaaaacckkkkkk!
This change was hugely controversial when originally proposed and never ended up being debated in parliament because it was clear the Senate wasn’t going to agree. As of Thursday, however, the plan has been resurrected.
The Government’s argument that these changes will make the system ‘fairer’ is fundamentally flawed. There is, quite simply, nothing fair about this proposed reform and that is because a generous paid parental leave scheme is beneficial on a whole number of levels.
Paid parental leave has an economic benefit because it supports women to transition more smoothly in and out of the workforce around childbirth. In fact, women who are financially supported and therefore less pressured to return to work quickly, are actually more likely to be back in the workforce 12 months after a baby is born.
Paid parental leave is good for the health of both mum and bub - seriously! Source: stock image
Need more convincing?!
Paid parental leave also has a longer-term economic benefit. Australian women earn less than men over their lifetimes because of a persistent gender pay gap, currently sitting at around 18 per cent. It means we retire with less superannuation and are more likely to be reliant on the aged pension after we stop working. If Australia can reduce the financial impact of career disruption caused by having a child, it will save the country money in the long run.
Need more convincing? Paid parental leave has been shown to provide better health outcomes for both mum and baby. In fact, the World Health Organisation recommends that primary carers be supported to spend the first six months at home with their child.
In fact, Australia’s current paid parental leave scheme was originally designed with exactly this in mind. Government support was never intended to be a substitute for employer support. The idea was that employer and government assistance combined would allow a new mother to spend the recommended six months at home with her baby.
If you need me I’ll be in Sweden raising my child
At 18 weeks, Australia has one of the least generous paid parental leave schemes in the world. By contrast, Swedish parents are entitled to 60 weeks, the Germans 58 weeks, Canadians get 52 weeks and in Ireland, it’s 26 weeks. While countries around the world are making progress with paid parental leave, we would be one of the first to go backwards.
Even setting aside the compelling policy arguments, data and international comparisons… there’s the simple truth that any parent knows: Those early months at home with a new baby are like no other. They are overwhelming, they are emotional and they are confronting and they are crazy.
They are also absolutely essential for developing a caring, nurturing bond with a baby. It is a bond that will benefit a child throughout their lifetime and one which governments should be increasing – not reducing – their support for.
