Wednesday May 8, 2013

Employer support for extended paid parental leave welcome

Financial concerns with a bill extending paid parental leave are not irresolvable, the 26 for Babies campaign said today following an endorsement from a major employers organisation.

This morning the EMA Northern presented to the parliamentary select committee considering Sue Moroney’s bill proposing an extension of paid parental leave from 14 weeks to 26 weeks.

EMA Northern’s David Lowe told the committee that they had surveyed members’ views on the bill, and that their feedback centred around two themes: that there was general support for the idea, and that the concerns largely related to the costs of extending paid parental leave.

Deborah Morris-Travers, spokesperson for 26 for Babies, said that there was still time for any financial issues with the bill to be resolved.

“We were very encouraged by the Prime Minister’s statement last week that more paid parental leave would be better, and that he thought paid parental leave would increase some day,” Deborah Morris-Travers said.

“There are plenty of options open on the affordability of this Bill. Hearings are still continuing, the select committee report is yet to be published and the implementation date of the bill is still up for consideration.”

“Both in their submissions and in the recent One News opinion poll, the public are right behind this bill to extend paid parental leave. A majority of MPs in Parliament support the bill also.”

“We encourage all parties in Parliament to work out a solution that can see this bill proceed. A financial veto on this bill is now unnecessary,” Deborah Morris-Travers said.

Ends.

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