Commonwealth Consolidated Acts Commonwealth Consolidated Acts(1) This Act establishes a paid parental leave scheme for the payment of parental leave pay and paid parental leave superannuation contributions.
(2) The objects of the paid parental leave scheme are to:
(a) signal that taking time out of the paid workforce to care for a child is part of the usual course of life and work for both parents; and
(b) promote equality between men and women and balance between work and family life; and
(c) provide financial support to parents caring for children, in order to:
(i) allow those parents to take time off work to care for the child after the child's birth or adoption; and
(ii) enhance the health and development of birth mothers and children; and
(iii) encourage women to continue to participate in the workforce; and
(iv) provide those parents with flexibility to balance work and family life; and
(v) increase the time that fathers and partners take off work around the time of birth or adoption; and
(vi) create further opportunities for fathers and partners to bond with their child; and
(vii) allow fathers and partners to take a greater share of caring responsibilities and to support mothers and partners from the beginning; and
(viii) reduce the long term financial impact of taking time off work to care for the child by adding to the superannuation balances of those parents.
(3) The financial support provided by this Act is intended to complement and supplement existing entitlements to paid or unpaid leave in connection with the birth or adoption of a child.