There are calls for Australian parents to have access to 52 weeks of paid parental leave, with claims the nation has the second-worst government funded paid parental leave scheme in the developed world.

The Australian Council of Trade Unions made the call, as part of its new report which addresses the gender pay gap, the unequal care burden on women and workplace harassment.

The report claims that closing the pay gap and supporting women to participate in the workforce at the same rate as men would generate $111 billion into the economy annual. And it would lead to an additional 893,000 more women in the workforce.

“Australia has the second worst government funded paid parental leave scheme in the developed world. In 2022 women shouldn’t have to give up on having a family and men shouldn’t miss out on being involved in raising their kids because paid parental leave is insufficient,” said ACTU President Michele O’Neil.

The union is flagging increasing paid parental leave from 18 to 26 weeks, and mapping out a path to increasing it to 52 weeks by 2030. The leave could be shared between parents, with ‘incentives to drive equal parenting’ and superannuation paid on all leave.

The ACTU is also floating making early childhood education and care free and accessible, and bringing forward the increases to childcare subsidies from 1 July 2023 to 1 January 2023.

“Early childhood education and care will pay for itself by women being able to work and pay tax. Bringing it forward and eventually making it free should be a no-brainer.”

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