That will be actually nice

This will get so many women back in the workforce. I only had 4 months of maternity leave (overseas) for my first and left my job because I wasn’t ready to go back. By 12 months pp I was ready, but the time for job searching and lack of care meant I couldn’t.

Any help for families would make life a little bit easier.

Omg this would change my life. It would mean we could afford another child.

Incentives that ultimately assist families are always welcomed.

There needs to be certain guidelines though so that people don’t abuse the system. Some smaller companies wouldn’t be able to afford to do this though, which would mean that women would find it harder to find employment.

Whilst it’s great in theory, the simple fact is many businesses can’t afford to do this. It could deter some employers from employing women.

It should definitely be increased! I had to go back to work within 6 months of having both of my boys as I couldn’t possibly afford to not be at work earning an income. It’s extremely difficult, especially when you end up being a single mother by the time your child is even 6 months old.

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  • • mom93821 replied
    • 06 Sep 2022 , 5:59 am

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  I agree – families need support!

Yes, with such a huge elderly population and this is only going to get worse as the baby boomers retire we need more young people – we need to do everything we can to encourage people to have kids right now.

This would be a good change. Increasing it over time would be a sensible approach.

I think the change would be wonderful! I took additional time leave from work once my mat leave ran out to be with my bubs.

Changes to paid parental leave are well overdue – although they won’t help me anymore, I support them.

It really should be- 1 year with your child is necessary and not everyone can afford the out of pocket cost.

That is a massive step up from 18weeks. That be great for a lot of expecting parents considering nowdays, the cost of living is high. However, will it conflict with the Family Tax Benefits? Cause I started getting that once my 18weeks was paid out and I had zero annual leave.

That would be amazing for growing families.

Absolutely it should be increased. I wouldve loved the chance to really relish those younger months with my kids without experiencing the mum guilt from sending them to childcare from the age of 6 months because of needing to return to work because of financial needs.

I’m concerned about where all this money is supposed to come from. I’m not sure on this. I was fortunate. I stayed at home and my husband was given 6 weeks paternal leave 21 years ago. Unheard of. I then stepped back in (slowly) to some project work to keep my foot in the door. I also received Family Assistance A. I’m just not sure. I think every family and every experience is different.

This would make it much less stressful. Those first few months go so fast. It would be really comforting to have extra time without stressing so much about whether we can afford to go back to work.

Going back to work with a small baby is super hard and this would make things much easier for a lot of people plus free up some day care spots as well. I love the fact that it could be shared between parents as well otherwise employers may be even less likely to hire women.

Yes! And flexible with which parent takes it, not just the birth mother. That way all family’s can use it to maximise time with bub