Not handled right – the changes to Australia’s parental leave scheme could have had a serious impact on the Australian economy, and limited the capacity of companies to afford the new system.

Getting the work-life balance right for Australian working families is vitally important for AMMA’s members – and importantly, from an employer’s point of view, the system announced is far more affordable than that first proposed.

AMMA’s work in this area has ensured:

§ no employer-funded superannuation contributions

§ employers would be ‘pre-paid’ monetary contributions to minimise cash flow pressures and

§ employees would not accrue leave entitlements.

AMMA’s Work to Date:

      Paid Parental Leave set for 2011, but some questions left unanswered for employers (13 May 2009)