In the polls on Friday night, female voters gave Labour a 16% advantage. For male voters Labour and the Coalition were neck and neck. It made me wonder to what extent women were voting simply to have a female prime minister. Did they also think they were voting for better policies for women? One certainly does not equal the other.
In modern day Australia when do the opportunities for women start to be different from the opportunities for men? Ignoring cultural and social influences for a minute, when do government policies start to influence the possible divergent opportunities of men and women to contribute fully to work, family and (for want of a better word) extracurricular activities? You guessed it! When the woman has a baby, and possibly even while she’s pregnant, although that is a little more opaque as there are ways of discriminating against pregnant women that cannot be detected, or at least, proven. So, I thought I’d have a look at the policies of Labour, the Coalition and the Greens on maternity or paternity leave and childcare.
The Coalition’s Paid Parental Leave scheme basically provides ‘real wage replacement’, of the minimum wage, whichever is greater, over 26 weeks, as they say, bringing Australia into line with paid parental leave policies the world over. It would be funded by a levy on large businesses (1.7% on taxable income above $5 million) and administered through the Family Assistance Office and includes superannuation payments.
Labour’s Paid Parental Leave scheme offers 18 weeks’ pay at the federal minimum wage, around $544 a week. Employers will be responsible for administering the payments and need to apply to the Government for funds. The Family Assistance Office will administer the funds for those who still fit the ‘work test’ but are no longer in employment.
The Australian Greens say Labour’s legislation needs to be enhanced. It needs to be six months, include continued superannuation payments, and needs to guarantee return to work, even if the employee has been working for less than 12 months.
It would appear that the Coalition has delivered a scheme more likely to benefit women who choose to start a family. In particular, it benefits women who wish to continue in the workforce after the birth of their baby, with no financial disadvantage. When a woman takes six or 12 months leave, her absence in the workplace could still be a disadvantage; she’s not physically there to develop, take up opportunities or deliver results. However, it gives women the choice to take leave, with financial constraints out of the equation.
Childcare next time…
Penny Rush
Masters Student, School of Social and Political Sciences