It’s Mat Leave Monday! Today I’m talking about maternity leave in Australia. Because it might be winter here, but it’s the middle of the summer in Oz. As with the UK, I have no first-hand knowledge, never having been Down Under myself. If you are actually in Australia the links in this post can provide you with much more detailed information.

So, put your hand up if you’ve ever heard this quote:

“The United States is the only developed country without some type of national paid maternity leave.”

I have. I’ve visited web sites like this one and this one, comparing the US negatively to all other Western countries. So I for one was well aware that the US lags well behind Canada and other nations in terms of the policies they offer to new parents.

Now, put your hand up if you’ve ever heard this quote (which I took from Verity Firth):

“Alongside the USA, Australia is the only Western country…that does not provide paid maternity leave.”

Not so many hands? At present Australia does not have universal paid maternity leave. It does provide for up to 52 weeks of unpaid leave to be shared between biological or adoptive parents. Some employers offer some form of paid leave, although they seem to be in the minority. One 2005 study indicates that only 34% of new mothers in Australia used paid maternity leave. And even then, it’s rarely for the full 52 weeks that the law allows parents to take away from work. You can read more about this yourself here and here.

It seems that this was something of an issue in Australia’s 2007 election campaign. Marie Claire magazine launched the ‘Push It‘ campaign, calling for universal, government-funded, maternity benefits. This great video was taken at their rally:

Australia does offer a publicly funded ‘baby bonus’ to new parents. In the past this was in the form of one lump-sum payment of $5000 AUD (approx $4300 CAD or $3500 USD), and there were no qualifying conditions. That changed on January 1. Now, families making more than $75 000 AUD annually no longer qualify, and the baby bonus is paid in 13 installments of $384 AUD every two weeks, so that it’s stretched out over 6 months. If you want to know more, you can find out all about the baby bonus here.

Late last year it seemed as if change may be afoot in Australia. On September 29 the Productivity Commission issued its report on paid maternity leave. It recommended that new parents receive 18 weeks of paid leave at the minimum wage of $544 AUD per week. Stay-at-home moms, who would not qualify, would still receive the baby bonus.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who campaigned in favour of paid maternity leave, said this:

“So we are still some ways off resolving the final policy detail, but what I am saying to you loud and clear today is that this Australian Government believes the time has come to bite the bullet on this and we intend to do so.”

But then the economy came crashing down. And in the fray the government didn’t take any steps to implement a paid maternity leave scheme. By November Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick was calling on the government to remember the positive impact of paid maternity leave on the economy. She said:

“It not only gives mothers the chance to establish a strong foundation in their family – it increases the number of women returning to work and, in a great many cases, allows businesses to hold on to highly skilled, highly trained and highly valued female staff.”

At the moment, it doesn’t seem like anyone knows what the final answer will be. Politicians are vague, and advocates are still pressing the government. Things being what they are in the current economic climate, it’s likely that no one wants to commit to spending more money. It looks like paid maternity leave will die a quiet death in Australia.

That’s the situation for Australian families, as best as I can understand and explain it. I welcome any input from someone who has actual first-hand knowledge. As for me, I hope that Australian politicians realize the benefits that come with supporting young families, and enact a national paid maternity leave. Providing babies (and their parents) with the best start possible is simply the right thing to do, regardless of what the stock market’s doing.