SUPPORT FOR PUSH IT

Jun 08 04:23pm

Tracey Spicer.
Journalist, Newsreader and Mother.

I wholeheartedly support the marie claire campaign for mandatory paid maternity leave. It is an absolute disgrace that Australia is one of only two OECD countries without such a scheme.

The consequences of this situation are grave and far reaching. Many of my friends were forced to go back to work while their babies were just weeks old, simply to pay the mortgage. Several, who were committed to breastfeeding, were forced to express milk in the workplace toilets. Others found their milk supply simply dried up. There is an epidemic of post-natal depression.

It's no surprise that, under these circumstances, most mothers decide to leave the workforce altogether. This, at a time when Australia is undergoing a crippling skills shortage. All the while, we are exhorted to have "one (baby) for your husband, one for your wife and one for the country".

But this is not a partisan issue. It is a humanist one. It is not a women's issue. It's a family issue.

So let's argue on the basis on common sense. Studies have repeatedly shown that paid maternity leave benefits businesses through the retention of trained staff, reduction of recruitment and training costs and improvement of staff morale and productivity. Westpac is a case in point. When the bank introduced 12 weeks paid maternity leave, the return-to-work rate increased to 70 percent, saving millions of dollars.

The world's great maternity leave schemes are taxpayer funded, thus ameliorating the potential burden on small business. In Scandinavian countries, for example, responsibility for the care of young children is seen as a shared responsibility of parents and the state.

This is a seminal moment in Australia's history. The work family balance is high on the political agenda, with both major parties desperate for the women's vote. What better time to "Push It"?

President, Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) and Acting Sex Discrimination Commissioner, John von Doussa www.hreoc.gov.au

The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) reiterates its previous calls for a national, government-funded paid maternity leave scheme of 14 weeks' duration, and congratulates marie claire for helping to keep focus on the issue with this new campaign.

Australia is one of only two OECD countries that have not legislated for paid maternity leave. According to the International Labour Organisation's Maternity Protection Convention 2000 (No. 183), countries should provide at least 14 weeks of paid maternity leave.

Currently only about a third of Australian women have access to employer-funded paid maternity leave. Clearly not all businesses can afford to provide paid maternity leave, which is why a government-funded scheme is urgently required.

Paid maternity leave is crucial for addressing the disadvantage that women experience in the workforce as a result of childbearing. In 2007, it's about time that all Australian women have access to this essential workplace entitlement.

Paid maternity leave was a recommendation of HREOC's landmark It's About Time: Women, men, work and family paper released in March this year and available at the Human Rights website.

What Women Want founder, Justine Caines www.whatwomenwant.org.au

Australian women need greater support to raise our future. For too long politicians have paid lip service to the importance of motherhood - now, policies and funding need to reflect the rhetoric.

What Women Want (Australia) is a newly formed group on the cusp of registering as a political party. We plan to run female candidates across the country in the coming Federal election. What Women Want (Australia) will act as a pressure point to the major parties to make them 'walk the talk.'

We want a compatible work life. We support a national parental leave scheme that provides new mothers with a wage for the first six months of their child's life. This wage would be at least equivalent to the federal minimum award wage. This scheme would allow another six-months unpaid leave. We also support fathers to be eligible to take unpaid parental leave to enable a more active role in parenting.

Australian Council of Trade Unions www.actu.org.au

The ACTU is a long time supporter of maternity protection, which includes job security and income protection.

Paid maternity leave ensures mothers can recover from birth and bond with their child. It retains mothers' connection with paid work, encouraging higher labour force participation. It fosters women's equal treatment in society. It partly ameliorates the economic costs of parenthood and recognises that a woman's role as a mother is compatible with ongoing employment.

In 1979 the ACTU won 12 months' unpaid leave for mothers. But a right to keep your job only ensures mothers don't have to resign when they become pregnant. It doesn't guarantee an ongoing income.

The ACTU participated in the revision of the International Labour Organisation's Maternity Protection Convention, which established 14 weeks as the minimum standard for paid maternity leave, worldwide. Since then, unions have successfully bargained for 14 weeks or more paid leave in many workplaces.

But female dominated industries have not been able to achieve paid leave through bargaining. To address this, we have advocated a scheme where government pays all mothers 14 weeks at the minimum wage. Employers contribute to a small levy to cover the cost of the top up to ensure mothers received full income replacement for at least 14 weeks. This would ensure all employers contributed to the cost of maternity leave.

Australian Breastfeeding Association www.breastfeeding.asn.au

The Australian Breastfeeding Association strongly supports government-funded paid maternity leave in order to give women the optimal chance of establishing breastfeeding before returning to work.

The successful establishment of breastfeeding and the resultant well-documented emotional and physical health benefits is more likely to be achieved with the opportunity for unlimited contact between mother and baby in the early weeks.

Paid maternity leave promises direct improvements in the health and welfare of mothers and babies by providing the opportunity for this contact for women otherwise unable to afford it financially. Extending the time a mother can be with her baby through the provision of adequate financial support should be seen as an investment in the physical and psychological health of families. It is also a way of recognising women's unpaid, as well as paid, work. It should not be limited to those currently in employment.

Senator Kerry Nettle, The Greens www.kerrynettle.org.au

Like marie claire, The Greens believe Australians deserve paid parental leave. I congratulate marie claire for the much needed Push It! campaign.

The Greens support paid parental leave as a work entitlement rather than a welfare payment. The Greens paid parental leave scheme includes:

18 weeks of government funded paid parental leave
A further 34 weeks of unpaid leave and
A right to return to work on a part-time basis

The Greens paid parental leave scheme could be funded immediately by scrapping the Baby Bonus, which is regressive because it is not distributed on the basis of need.

The Greens paid parental leave scheme provides flexibility for couples wishing to share the period of leave and provides women with time to recover from childbirth, breastfeed and bond with their new child.

*The statements above are the opinions of the groups/political parties indicated. They do not represent the views of marie claire magazine.

1 Comments Report Abuse

1. shusau - Feb 20 05:40pm

Well done Marie Claire on pushing this great issue. Shame we have to fight for something such as this. The pressure on women today to return to the work force due to financial reasons is so unfair, when they should be spending this time bonding with their precious newborn. Let's push it hard.