Page 967 - Week 03 - Wednesday, 25 February 2009
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principle to allow improved benefits of long service leave and annual leave to be shared between both partners when both are employed by the ACT public service may assist employees to maximise use of their paid leave entitlements.
Enhanced flexibility and contact with the workplace is another option worth considering. During the employee’s pregnancy, adjustments are often made to working conditions, such as the frequency of breaks during the day or commencement and finishing times. The provision of a right for pregnant employees to access part-time work or flexible working hours during these times could also assist employees in achieving appropriate work-life balance.
Furthermore, recent research has highlighted as a concern of women accessing maternity leave that they frequently lose contact with their place of work during an extended absence or subsequently are not aware of developments in their workplace. Provision of formal mechanisms that enabled an employee to be kept informed of important events, meetings and developments that may affect them or their workplace would address some of these concerns. Additionally, such access would be of benefit to the employee in returning to the workplace after maternity leave. Consideration of all of these options should of course be subject to operational needs.
Irrespective of the method and timing of any changes to paid maternity leave, or the introduction of some of the other improvements I have outlined above, the government remains committed to retaining its competitive advantage in the labour market through the provision of extended paid maternity leave, both in the interests of a sustainable workforce and in support of the early childhood development. I commend my amendment to the chamber and indicate my support for the motion from Ms Hunter.
Essentially, my amendment merely says that this will go forward if the wording in the final report mirrors that of the interim one. If, in fact, there is a significant departure, we will need to think about it again and possibly come back to the chamber. If, in fact, it is in general terms the same as what is in the interim report, then I would communicate with the federal minister for industrial relations along the lines outlined in the motion. I commend the motion to the chamber.
MR SESELJA (Molonglo—Leader of the Opposition) (12.16): The Canberra Liberals will be supporting this motion, and I thank Ms Hunter for bringing it forward. I would say also, though, that the amendments that have been circulated, both by Mr Hargreaves and Mrs Dunne, add a bit of clarity to some of it. I think it is difficult to endorse a Productivity Commission report that we have not seen yet. With those amendments being agreed to, I think we are broadly comfortable, but it is worth going through our position, and, in particular, some concerns we still have over the national debate. I will then, in turn, deal with the 18 weeks issue in the ACT.
The Liberal Party supports a paid parental scheme. However, the final recommendations of the Productivity Commission due by the end of this month will provide further clarification on the best approach. The Productivity Commission’s interim report had several key recommendations that we support, including that a paid parental scheme would cover a broad range of family types, so long as they meet the
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