Maternity leave, what are your entitlements?
When I had my eldest child, I was living in the UK at the time and the maternity leave I had was great. I had fully paid leave for a few months and returned to work after that. It was only for a very short time in the end, as we’d made the decision to return home to Australia. Luckily I had a family member who was living there at the time so she looked after my son at home while I returned to work.
Meanwhile, I had a girlfriend in the US who was also pregnant and spent most of her pregnancy frantically trying to find a decent daycare for her baby. She had to return to work 6 weeks after her baby arrived. It was a very hard time for her and her partner and their baby, and to this day she still feels resentful that she had to return to work so early on. But with a mortgage to pay and bills piling up she had very limited choices.
Back home in Australia when I fell pregnant with Miss Medium and later on Mr Small, because of the contracts I had I wasn’t entitled to any maternity leave. So each time we had to manage our budgets extremely carefully and I worked up right to the last possible minute with each baby. I was determined to enjoy the time I had with my newborns as much as possible afterwards, because lets face it, the time really does fly by when they are so small.
But it does make me wonder. I know we now have new maternity laws in place and paid parental leave entitlements. I did have that time in the UK where I felt extremely spoiled with my maternity leave allowance. But if we look at Sweden where all working parents are entitled to 16 months paid leave per child, and the cost of it is shared between employer and the state, I can’t help thinking Australia has a way to go.
DJUSABDAUTZ6
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After experiencing various maternity leave entitlements Sarah looks at what more do we need.
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Posted 02 December 2010 - 02:37 AM
Agreed, parents should be able to spend this time with their children.it's crucial for bonding. Also Australia needs to seriously look at the childcare industry, and think realistically about affordability. If parents choose to stay at home to raise their children, the government needs to implement a support network that is adaptable to individual circumstances
Posted 05 December 2010 - 01:17 AM
Maternity leave and childcare are incredibly important for the future of our country. Awareness and action are needed to make sure core requirements in both areas are being driven to improvement. We've got a long way to go in my opinion.
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Posted 05 December 2010 - 11:17 AM
I personally don't think we should get any paid maternity leave!!!
We have three children and are planning a for another. I have been on unpaid maternity leave for 4.5yrs straight and I believe that if you can't afford to take atleast 6 mths off then you can't afford to have children!!! Why should those who don't choose to or can't have children have to subsidise those who do?
I saved up 3 mths long service leave and 3 months annual leave as I new we were planning on having children in the near future.
My employer allows 2 yrs maternity leave per child. So as long as my kids are not much more than 2 yrs appart I can continue.
Posted 05 December 2010 - 12:17 PM
My wife is at work and i am a stay at home dad with 2 boys under 4 due to a workplace injury, we are expecting our 3rd child in May. to the best of my understanding you have to choose between paid maternity leave and the baby bonus, my question: is the monetary value of these two benefits the same and how do you know which is the right one for your family?
Posted 05 December 2010 - 06:23 PM
go to www.australia.gov.au, there are links to a calculator so you can work out which way you are better off going, you have to apply for paid parental leave before 34 weeks to get the full benefit from it
hth
Posted 05 December 2010 - 06:48 PM
I am a mum to a 5.5month old and just last week discovered I am pregnant with number two... Am excited but also nervous as my 12month maternity leave ends in May 2011 and bub 2 is due July 30th 2011. I am unsure weather or not they still have to hold my position for me for after bub 2?
Posted 10 December 2010 - 08:15 PM
i totally agree, i have worked in daycares before where there were 6 week old babies coming in 5 days a week 6am to 6pm, and even small children, up tothe age of 5 day in and day out you would see these children wanting attention from their parents not us (childcare workers), the govenment needs to do something about supporting families with small children, these children dnt want to go to daycare and play they want their mums and dads... my husband and i have tried concieving for 5 years, after depression, no job no money we knew we couldnt have a baby, this year to our surprise i fell pregnant am currently 23 weeks pregnant with a baby boy, we are over the moon, i have worked the past 2 years consisitly, to get our money back on track, but when this baby comes along my husband and i have talked about it i am the stay home parent, as i have always wanted to be at home with children, and my husband is the main income earner, so weather we have money or we dnt we are going to make it work, yes its going to be hard,but we want to bring our children up with someone home they can rely on, not taking them to daycare and not knowing what time they are going home to have dinner or bath or sleep, understanding each household is different, but in the end family comes first..
Posted 30 December 2010 - 09:22 PM
I am so glad my workplace gives 18 wks paid leave and I will also be able to access the govt 18 weeks afterwards! Without those entitlements, my husbands income alone would have made having children very difficult - we don't have a mortgage or live a lavish lifestyle. We could have waited a few more years to have a baby but I wanted to do it when I was young and healthy. So many people leave it until they are in their 30's and discover that it isn't always easy to get pregnant. I would have been devestated if that happened to me.
Posted 28 May 2011 - 08:28 PM
I would call c/link to double check this. Wording is you can be pais 'up to' $570 p/w before tax. U need to use it within a certain amt of weeks & can only recieve AFTER proof of birth is lodged.
Posted 28 May 2011 - 08:51 PM
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