Paid Parental Leave Act 2010

This Act establishes a paid parental leave scheme for the payment of parental leave pay and paid parental leave superannuation contributions.

The objects of the paid parental leave scheme are to:

signal that taking time out of the paid workforce to care for a child is part of the usual course of life and work for both parents; and

promote equality between men and women and balance between work and family life; and

provide financial support to parents caring for children, in order to:

allow those parents to take time off work to care for the child after the child’s birth or adoption; and

enhance the health and development of birth mothers and children; and

encourage women to continue to participate in the workforce; and

provide those parents with flexibility to balance work and family life; and

increase the time that fathers and partners take off work around the time of birth or adoption; and

create further opportunities for fathers and partners to bond with their child; and

allow fathers and partners to take a greater share of caring responsibilities and to support mothers and partners from the beginning; and

reduce the long term financial impact of taking time off work to care for the child by adding to the superannuation balances of those parents.

The financial support provided by this Act is intended to complement and supplement existing entitlements to paid or unpaid leave in connection with the birth or adoption of a child.