Re: Paternity Pay

The laws here are the same.We worked hard to develop a business for years then just when we were about to employ, the gov brought in these laws. We knew we couldn't afford to hire someone then have them take off half a year with pay, so we thought we would just hire a guy. The job would have been some driving and mostly clerical work. Then the rules changed and everyone can have time off. We changed plans and have just stayed as we are. Here, an employer cannot ask questions like do you have children, do you usually take time off to care for them if they are ill, Your age, will you ever start a family then leave, etc... It's considered discrimination. A new law has just come in that says a potential employer can ask if a future pregnancy is planned and when. How many will say no to score the job then say it was an accident when it happens.

Re: Paternity Pay

There are not a lot of people who can weld alloy floating around the mrketdue to the speciality of the skill, all the good ones in this area are spoken for. My friend has another employee who can do the welds but it takes him twice as long to do them.
I know a colleague who who is retired that can weld alloy so I am going to have a word with him to see if he could help out.
It has woken my friend up to the vunerability of his operation and he is determined not to get into this situation again if he survives this one.

Why anyone wants to be at home 24/7 with a new baby beats me, evenings and week-ends were enough for me and I loved my kids to pieces, also like Aerolor says, my wife welcomed the relief when I go home to help out.

Re: Paternity Pay

Doesn't the Australian Government pay the maternity leave salary costs Troopie, as the British Government does over here? Not all costs fall onto the shoulders of the employer, although I admit that for a small business the disruption of maternity leave is a real worry.

Re: Paternity Pay

That sums it up AB but somebody has to be prepared to do so, if necessary. If care for the baby is not shared and there are inadequate systems in place for partners to share that care, then this role always falls to the women - sometimes women end up struggling with both provider and carer role. I don't think this is fair in today's society when often women have a job as valuable as a man's - simple biology still ensures it is not an even playing field - After all is said and done it takes two to make a baby and, when possible, the ideal is to share surely - and not just do the bits you choose. Even now my husband will not change a nappy and walks in and out of our grandchildren's care, picking and choosing the fun bits.

Re: Paternity Pay

how very sad.
BTW you are assuming the wife is at home. Bit of an old-fashioned attitude that. A more likely explanation is that she is going back to work and he is caring for the child.

Re: Paternity Pay

Thats me Claireandaisy, old fashioned I am into Feet up, large Brandys and a book, I am not your today , Sex,drugs rock and roll type of person.

Truthfully though as Aerolor so aptly puts it, two make the baby so two should care for it, I just think it should be like shift work, half the time on, half the time recharging the batteries.

Yes, his wife is at home, apart from being a full time house keeper and mother she does not work

Re: Paternity Pay

Might be a good idea to ask the employee to take a paternity test to prove he is the father before the boss lets him take time off.

Re: Paternity Pay

That won't work Galty - I think paternity leave is relevant if folks adopt - but good try

Re: Paternity Pay

The gov covers some of the cost but like super and a few other things, the employer puts in the most money.

Re: Paternity Pay

I have just found some information from an Australian website Troopie and it seems to indicate that apart from the problem of covering mat.leaves, the burden of maternity leave is not as hard on employers as you believed.

Taken from an ex pat.website
Maternity Pay in Australia
January 2011 Paid Parental Leave - Maternity Pay implementation
Australia's first national Paid Parental Leave scheme started on 1 January 2011.

This Parental leave is for eligible working parents of children born or adopted on or after 1 January 2011.
It is paid for up to 18 weeks at the National Minimum Wage - currently $569.90 a week before tax (2010)

Claimants must be Australian residents with an income of under $150,000 per year.

Claimants must have worked for at least 10 of the 13 months prior to the birth of the child.

Note: You cannot receive Parental Leave Pay and a Baby Bonus payment for the same child.

More at: Paid Paternity Leave in Australia

2011 Proposed Maternity Leave
From 2011, it is proposed that the Federal Government will pay Maternity Leave for 18 weeks at $543pw, totalling $9,774.However, recipients of this would NOT receive the current Maternity/Baby Bonus, nor would they receive any FTB payments during the time that they are taking such leave.

There will be cases where it will be more beneficial for the parent to choose NOT to get the Paid Paternity Leave, as the loss of the tax free Baby Bonus and Family Tax Benefits, may be greater than the after tax benefit of the Parental leave.

Compulsory Maternity Leave pre 2011
There is a requirement to provide 52 weeks unpaid maternity leave to the primary care giver.

There is currently NO Compulsory requirement to provide Paid Maternity Leave

There is however, a federal government funded Maternity Payment of $$5,294 paid per child, which is the equivalent to 18 weeks at $294 per week, tax free. There is also the Family Tax Benefit part B, also tax free and per child, at a rate of up to about $68 per week. This totals $362 pw tax free, or the equivalent of about $529 pw before tax at the 30% tax bracket.

Some companies do provide paid maternity leave, although these are mainly large companies, or companies that provide extra benefits for valued employees.

Paid Maternity Leave
In a survey done in October 2007 the following results were found:


45.4% of women said they were entitled to paid Maternity Leave

39.3% of women said they were not entitled

15.3% of women were unaware of what maternity leave they were entitled to

The survey was carried out by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and the PDF report is here:

www.ausstats.abs.gov.au...202007.pdf


In 2002 this figure was 39 per cent of female employees in Australia being able take an average of seven weeks� paid maternity leave, up from 28 per cent in 1997

Update April 2008
The Labor Government has asked the Productivity Commission to examine the implications of maternity leave for Australian Workers, to examine the effectiveness of different models of support for parents.

March 2008
The retail chain Myer, is quoted as being the first big Australian retailer to grant six weeks paid parental leave. This is conditional on having been employed for 18 months either part time or full time. IKEA has been offering this for the last 5 years. The David Jones retail stores currently offers two years unpaid maternity leave.

An indication of Maternity Leave rules is available at http://www.industrialrelations.nsw.g...ental.htmlNote that this is specifically for NSW. I think that most States will be similar.


Two Pieces of Statistical information from this report at the Federal Government Library:
http://www.aph.gov.au/library/intgui...nity_leave.htm

Report 1:

Dr Barbara Pocock estimates that 39 per cent of female employees have access to paid maternity leave of some form (about 7 weeks on average): 39 per cent of female employees in Australia can take an average of seven weeks� paid maternity leave, up from 28 per cent in 1997.
Although 77 per cent of women in the finance and insurance industries have access to paid maternity leave, only one per cent are covered in the retail sector, and 2 percent in hotels and restaurants.

Among developed countries, only the US and Australia have not legislated for minimum paid maternity leave across the workforce.

Report 2:

38 per cent of female employees responded that they were entitled to paid maternity leave (51 per cent of full time employees and 21 per cent of part time employees)
women in casual employment had almost negligible access to paid maternity leave (0.4 per cent of self-identified casuals responded that they were entitled to paid maternity leave, compared to 53.6 per cent of other female employees)
the highest coverage of paid maternity leave (percent of female employees) occurred in the following industries: Government Administration and Defence (68.1 per cent), Communication Services (59.1 per cent), Finance and Insurance (59 per cent) and Education (57 per cent )
the lowest coverage of paid maternity leave was found in the following industries: Agriculture (4.5 per cent), Accommodation, Cafes and Restaurants (13.4 per cent), Retail (20.2 per cent of female employees) and Cultural and Recreational Services (28.2 per cent)
the highest incidence of paid maternity leave was recorded in the following occupations: Managers and Administrators (65 per cent) and Professionals (54 per cent)
the lowest incidence of paid maternity leave was recorded in the following occupations: Elementary Clerical, Sales and Service Workers (18 per cent) and labourers and related workers (21 per cent) and access to paid maternity leave was higher the greater an employee�s length of service with an employer.