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 Home Decisions PSA survey into paid parental leave
PSA survey into paid parental leave
Executive, 26 May 2008
Report adopted
The Women's Unit developed and distributed a survey into paid parental leave. The survey was distributed through Women's Council, email bulletin and through metropolitan and regional industrial staff. The survey was also posted to members who have advised us that they are on leave without pay as a large proportion of our members on leave without pay are accessing maternity, paternity or parental leave. The survey was also available on our website.
The purposes of the survey were:
- to engage our members in the current public debate about universal paid parental leave
- to provide the PC Inquiry with personal experiences of parents' time away from the workforce to have a baby and how this could be affected by improved paid parental leave
- to inform the PSA's submission into the Inquiry and
- to identify members who are likely to become active in a PSA campaign to improve our members' paid parental leave.
The survey closed on 9 May 2008.
Preliminary analysis of the survey has identified the following areas that members have stated as being important to them in relation to parental leave-
- return to work provisions particularly strengthening the right to flexible work practises
- Workplace facilities to assist in the balance of work and careers responsibilities particularly the provision of appropriate breastfeeding facilities
- The importance of affordable, accessible, high quality childcare to assist members to return to work
- The impact of taking parental leave on career progression including challenging current workplace cultures that discourage members from accessing their entitlements such as part time work until the child is of school age
- Paid partner leave - many members identified the lack of paid partner leave as creating stress in the household as partners, predominantly fathers struggle to balance their work and family life
The surveys also revealed that members and employers are unaware of current provisions and that many workplaces would benefit from an information campaign by the PSA on current provisions.
The Women's Unit plans to contact members who have responded to the survey to set up working groups to discuss the issues identified with a view to:
- Publishing and distributing information sheets on current provisions
- Planning and implementing a detailed industrial and campaigning response to the issues identified.
Contact Details
Shabnam Hameed, Women's Industrial Officer
Ph: 02 9220 0906
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