Leading Australian Researchers urge - Abbott to pass parental leave legislation

Some of Australia’s leading researchers in work, organisational studies and work and family policy have urged Opposition Leader Tony Abbott to put aside political point-scoring and pass the Government’s parental leave legislation.

The academics and researchers delivered their appeal in a letter to Mr Abbott today, saying a failure in the passage of the bill would be a “be a policy tragedy for Australian women”.

While the signatories acknowledged the Liberal leader’s efforts in proposing an alternative scheme offering a 26-week parental leave provision, they said working women, particularly from low socio- economic backgrounds, would be further disadvantaged by delays to the introduction of paid parental leave.

“The details of eligibility, administration and funding that you propose are not yet clear,” their letter states.

“We are also concerned that the possible administration of your proposed scheme would lead to further complications which will not benefit women and would impose onerous transaction costs on business, government and potentially women and their families.”

They said they believed the 18-week scheme before the Parliament was vital to women working in low paid jobs and the private sector who currently lack access to paid maternity leave.

“We see this scheme as an important first step and believe that is it vital that support for working women and their families is not jeopardised or delayed by party political gamesmanship.”

A full copy of the letter to Mr Abbott and a list of signatories can be viewed by clicking the here

Contacts for interviews:

Sara Charlesworth, Principal Research Fellow, RMIT University – tel 0412 889122

Professor Barbara Pocock, Director of the Centre for Work + Life, University of South Australia, Co-convenor Work and Family Policy Roundtable – tel 0414 244 606