Government asks the Productivity Commission to investigate Paid Maternity Leave

Today the Federal Governmet gave the Productivity Commission the terms of reference to investigate "improved support for parents with new born children".

The terms of reference were issued by the Treasurer, Wayne Swan, the deputy Prime Minister, Julia Gillard and the Minister for Families, Jenny Macklin.

In undertaking the inquiry the Commission is to:

Identify the economic, productivity and social costs and benefits of providing paid maternity, paternity and parental leave.

Explore the extent of current employer provision of paid maternity, paternity and parental leave in Australia.
Identify paid maternity, paternity and parental leave models that could be used in the Australian context.

Assess those models for their potential impact on:
the financial and regulatory cost and benefits on small and medium sized business;
the employment of women, women's workforce participation and earnings and the workforce participation of both parents more generally;
work/family preferences of both parents in the first two years after the child's birth;
the post-birth health of the mother;
the development of young children, including the particular development needs of newborns in their first 2 years; and
relieving the financial pressures on families;

Assess the cost effectiveness of these models.

Assess the interaction of these models with the Social Security and Family Assistance Systems.

Assess the impacts and applicability of these models across the full range of employment forms (e.g. including for the self-employed, farmers, shift workers, etc).

Assess the efficiency and effectiveness of Government policies that would facilitate the provision and take-up of these models.

The Commission is to report by February 2009. The Commission is to hold public hearings and seek public submissions for the purpose of the inquiry and is to produce a report for public release by government.

You can register your interest at http://www.pc.gov.au/inquiry/parentalleave and follow the progress of the Prductivity Commission's inquiry.

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