Paid Parental Leave Changes
The Paid Parental Leave Amendment (Improvement for Families and Gender Equality) Act 2023 has been passed in parliament and introduces changes to the Government's paid parental leave scheme.
Under the governments' paid parental leave scheme, from 1 July 2023:
· Parental Leave Pay and Dad and Partner Pay will be combined into one payment: increasing from 18 to 20 weeks.
· Parents can use Parental Leave Pay until a child turns 2.
· The 30-day cap is removed, and employees can take the governments' paid parental leave in a more flexible manner rather than as a block of continuous unpaid leave.
Proposed changes not yet passed include:
· The period of leave is to be extended from 18 weeks to 26 weeks over the next four years,
· The 26 weeks can be shared among both parents, or a single parent can access the full period.
The bill is designed to encourage gender equality at home and in the workplace in an effort to close the gender pay gap, boost women's workforce participation and create an opportunity for the non-birthing parent to bond and care for the new child.
At Programmed, we are committed to closing the gender pay gap (which widens significantly during periods of unpaid caregiving) and increasing women's participation in the workplace. Initiatives include: eligible Programmed employees on parental leave participate in the annual remuneration review process and continue to receive employer contributions to Superannuation/Kiwi Saver whilst on paid leave or, where applicable, government-paid parental leave.
We've also introduced a return-to-work co-contribution Superannuation bonus to encourage women to take an active role in growing their superannuation savings.
Read our article here. Programmed will match personal superannuation contributions up to $1,500 in the first year of your return to work (after taking parental leave).
A reminder, contributions will be matched in May and November, so get your form in or contact MaintenanceHR@programmed.com.au for more information.
