Australia: about to join the modern era on paid parental leave?

Australia is one of only two developed nations in the world that doesn't have mandatory paid maternity/paternity leave. Barely a step ahead of that shining example of good human rights, the USofA, women and men in Australia may access up to 12 months of unpaid leave (only after they've worked somewhere for a year) when they give birth to or adopt a child. However only about 40% of Australians have access to paid parental leave: and most of those people are high income earners and professionals.

In the UK, by comparison, men can take up to 2 weeks on full pay, while women may take 14 weeks on 90% of their normal pay and then 34 weeks at a fixed rate (about £120, or $300 a week). Other countries that offer at least 14 weeks on 100% salary include Cameroon, Botswana, Madagascar and Senegal. Brazil offers 6 months on 100% salary. New Zealand women may take 14 weeks paid a minimum wage only ($407 per week). In France, it's 16 weeks on full pay for a first child, rising to 26 weeks on full pay for a third or subsequent child. Finnish women and men can both access close to a year (split between them) on 80% wages.

Lack of paid maternity leave is a huge issue for Australian women. Women are considered medically unfit for work for at least two weeks before a birth and six weeks after: even if the baby is healthy and the delivery straightforward. It's illegal to work during that time, but there's no compensation for being forced out of the workforce (unless you have sick pay or holiday pay available to you).

All that may be about to change: http://www.theage.com.au/national/commission-calls-for-18-weeks-paid-parental-leave-20080929-4q43.html

So the downside is that it's paid at minimum wage, but that's a huge improvement for all thos parents on low incomes who currently get no paid leave at all. It woudl be in addition to any paid leave you can access at work, and unless you're already a stay at home mum, it would replace the baby bonus unless you're already , so it's spread out over time (loads of studies show that giving someone 5 grand all at one just encourages them to blow it on a new telly, and not baby stuff - surprise!)

Best of all, they've realised that giving paid leave only to women is just going to encourage discrimination against women in the workforce, so other than the mandatory bit, it's open to men and women. I don't want kids, but it's about bloody time the government realised that without kids, the next generation of workforce just ain't gonna be there. Watch this space for next steps...