Belly
According to Australian Unions
· Paid maternity leave assists with the direct costs of having children, especially the increased costs faced at the time of the birth of a child. It protects working women from economic hardship due to maternity and it may also encourage some couples to have an additional child. It can assist prevent child poverty.
· maintain the link between a woman, post child-birth and her employment and career,
· PML maintains an effective right to work, Female labour market attachment will improve employment rates and retain valuable skills, necessary in the new economies.
· PML provides protection for mother and baby, by providing an income for a short period. This allows recovery from birth, maternal/child attachment/bonding and give breastfeeding the best chance of success.
· paid maternity leave in conjunction with paternity and parental paid leave will assist the mother with her carrier and will bring the father closer to his child/dren.
· Benefits to the economy. Australia has one of the lowest levels of workforce participation for women aged between 25 and 44 in the OECD. We are ranked 23 out of 24 OECD nations. If more women are in the workforce this puts downward pressure on inflation and improves productivity by increasing the labour supply at a time of serious skills shortages. According to employers, the cost of replacing staff - including recruitment and skills acquisition - appears to be at least $10,000, and more for higher salary/skilled areas. Overseas experience shows that women with paid maternity leave are more likely to return to work (up to 90%) than those without, giving employers a real saving on the bottom line.

Antonios Symeonakis
Adelaide

You still fail to see the obvious, ASymeonakis.

>>From 2004 federal elections: The Australian Labor Party (ALP) has intensified debate on the issue by announcing paid maternity leave as a key policy<<

Errrr.... who won that election?

So for this last one, what did we get?

"If elected I will ask the Productivity Commission to examine the effectiveness of different models to improve support for parents in the labour force with new born children"

That is not a clear statement of policy, with costings and responsibilities attached. That is simply the politician's way of trying to say something without having to commit to anything explicit.

There was no opportunity to question the policy before the election, or ask him to cost his commitment, because he would simply say "we will consider the outcome of the commission"

That is what I mean about deceit. He knew full well that he was going to find a way to sneak the legislation through, covering himself with "commission" so that he neither had to i) take the responsibility himself or ii) take the costings directly to the electorate.

That's what I mean by a pretend democracy. We only pay it lip-service, because all the decisions are actually made without a mandate from the electorate.

Remember the "never ever" GST? We are being treated with the same high-handed condescension and disdain.

>>Really I can not understand where is the non democratic<<

That is probably because you do not understand the concept.

Antonios,

'Paid maternity leave assists with the direct costs of having children'
Well duh!

'It protects working women from economic hardship'
Wellfare can do that.

'encourage some couples to have an additional child'
Yes, but 'encourage' and 'some' are the key words here.

'maintain the link between a woman, post child-birth and her employment and career'

That link is already kept. Jobs by law are left open by UNPAID maternity leave.

,
· PML maintains an effective right to work, Female labour market attachment will improve employment rates and retain valuable skills, necessary in the new economies.'

see above

'PML provides protection for mother and baby, by providing an income for a short period. This allows recovery from birth, maternal/child attachment/bonding and give breastfeeding the best chance of success.'

'Allows'? This is already allowed for the majority of couples who save a bit before children. Also the Baby bonus is equivalent to 12 weeks at minimum wage.

'paid maternity leave in conjunction with paternity and parental paid leave will assist the mother with her carrier and will bring the father closer to his child/dren.'
Rubbish. I'm close to my child without parental leave.

'If more women are in the workforce this puts downward pressure on inflation and improves productivity'
They're not in the workforce, they are at home being paid! Not very productive.

'cost of replacing staff - including recruitment and skills acquisition - appears to be at least $10,000'
So why don't all employers pay maternity leave. I know, because either this is rubbish, or they are already retaining staff due to UNPAID maternity leave.

'with paid maternity leave are more likely to return to work , giving employers a real saving on the bottom line.'

Again, obviously not if employers aren't currently paying ML, so they obviously don't see this value. How do you know that maternity leave is CAUSING the women to return, rather than women who are ALREADY more likely to return to work are in occupations more likely to get maternity leave?

As I've written in the past - the tragedy for Australians seeking personal pride in the achievements of their nation is their ignorance of a politically distinctive past of which there is much to be proud, and whose wonderfully subversive stories that shaped the national character are seldom told.

In the silver and zinc mines of Broken Hill, New South Wales, the miners won the world's first thrity-five hour week, half a century ahead of Europe and America. Long before most of the world, Australia had a minimum wage, child benefits, pensions and the vote for women.

By the 1960s, Australians could boast the most equitable spread of income in the world. The secret ballot was invented in Australia.
And in my lifetime, Australia has been transformed from a second-hand Anglo-Irish society to one of the most culturally diverse places on earth, and it has happened peacefully. No matter that it may have happened by default in a country where the 'White Australia policy' ran so deep that one Australian prime minister, Billy Hughes, was the only leader who refused to sign an international declaration that recognised all races as being equal.

Given the past, and by most standards of civilisation, the transformation is a remarkable achievement.

So, it's simple. Paid Maternity Leave will happen. And, years from now we'll all wonder what all the fuss was all about.

Foxy,

'Paid Maternity Leave will happen. And, years from now we'll all wonder what all the fuss was all about.'

No Doubt. Just like Centrepoint tower and the monorail. Doesn't mean they are good ideas, people just have a short attention span, and know once a handout is there it's politically impossible to take it away.

That's why it's so important to clamp down now, as it's the thin edge of the wedge. Minimum wage at 14 weeks now, full wage for 1 year eventually, and you will have a single mother on $40k a year with 3 kids paying for a new mother's 1 year full pay maternity leave at $150k.

So while single mum struggles, new mom sits on a beach on her post baby holiday angrily waiting for her personal trainer to turn up because she has to pick her kids up from the kids club by 6pm. All at the tax payers expense.

I predict eventually there will even be 3 - 5 days paid menstrual leave a month for all women. The last piece of the puzzle is the penis tax on men, but that's another story.

Pericles
Do you think all other countries, which signed the convention for the paid maternity leave ( except USA and Australia) are idiots or irresponsible?
Do you think that the Trade Unions worldwide which promote the paid maternity leave are irresponsible and extremist?
Do you think employers associations worldwide do not know or care for their own interests because they support the paid maternity leave?
Instead to speak for the maternity leave you try to prove that Rudd was not enough clear before the elections.
Do you agree with maternity leave Yes or No? I think you could become a successful politician!
I know that even the most conservative governments and parties support the paid maternity leave, worldwide.
It is your right to be against the paid maternity leave.

Foxy Thank you for all.
It is seemed there are many conservatives in this forum. No problemo!
They gives us the excuse to cover our weakness! This time, I believe Australian women will take the paid maternity leave.

Usual Suspect
always there are small minorities who try to stop the history, to stop the improvement from their civilization.
You know very well that in the rest of the world people take paid maternity leave, you know very well that civilized counties as European Countries, pay many times more than the minimum, as maternity, paternity or parental leave.

Stuart!
It pasted about one century, from the first convention for paid maternity leave and we did not sign it. Now Rudd try to solve this problem and I think he will do it. Instead you to support for the solution of this very basic problem you .. write for other stories?
Do you agree with paid maternity leave or not?

Antonios Symeonakis
Adelaide