Paid parental leave becomes law
Working mothers will receive 18 weeks paid parental leave from 1 January 2011.
The Act creating the scheme received assent on 14 July 2010 after first being introduced to the Parliament in May 2010.
The federal government Family Assistance Office will make the payments for the first six months with employers to administer payment from 1 July 2011. Eligible working women will be paid $10 258.20 or $570.00 per week in instalments. Employers won’t be required to pay an instalment until the Family Assistance Office has forwarded them the funds.
Most claimants will be mothers (primary), but it’s also possible for partners (secondary) and in exceptional circumstances a third party who takes over the care of the child (tertiary), to claim under the scheme.
A person is eligible for paid leave if:
- they satisfy a work test, and
- they satisfy an income test, and
- they satisfy a residency test, and
- they are the primary carer of the child, and
- they haven’t returned to work, and
- neither they, their partner nor a former partner was entitled to a baby bonus for the child.
For more information on the detail of the scheme see our commentary under the leave entitlements section of the website.
Learn more about your obligations under the scheme in our paid parental leave seminar.
Paid Parental Leave Act 2010