Currently, eligible employees who are primary carers of a new
born or adopted child are entitled to 18 weeks of parental leave in
addition to any employer provided entitlements. You may have heard
that the Government wants to stop this 'double dipping' and
has introduced the Fairer Paid Parental Leave Bill
2015.
If the Bill is passed employees will no longer be entitled to
the Government's paid parental leave if their employer provides
an equivalent or better alternative. This will not only have
ramifications for employees but also for employers who have
policies or contractual arrangements which seek to "top
up" the government scheme.
The Senate Standing Committees on Community Affairs is currently
taking submissions on the Bill. The Committee's report is to be
handed down on 15 September 2015. We will provide more
information on the anticipated impacts of the Bill once the
Committee's report has been handed down.
