Thank you for the recent announcements to increase paid parental leave from 18 weeks to 26 weeks. This is a huge step in supporting women and families and future generations of Australia’s children by getting them off to the best start in life. Whilst 26 weeks is a huge step in the right direction, we do, however, have many concerns around the “use it or lose it” policy discussion that is around at this time. Whilst we understand the government’s desire to achieve economic equality for women, discussions we have had with families overwhelmingly show a desire to be paid for the time taken out of the workforce, not simply to get back to work and have the father or partner replace them at home. When we look at parental leave from health and developmental outcomes for women and children, the 26 weeks has been proven to be what is the minimal optimum outcome.

In April of this year I created a petition to increase paid parental leave from 18 weeks to 26 weeks and I gave a number of evidence based recommendations to justify the increase based on best practice for breastfeeding (because that’s what I do and is my passion!). I also sent letters to various ministers and was told by the then social services minister that the 2009 Productivity Commission Report that was the basis for the decision around 18 weeks. I’ve since gone through the entire 585 page report shows evidence on so many levels that 6 months is the optimal length of time for parental leave, not just for breastfeeding outcomes, but overall child development, child attachment and maternal and parenting outcomes. The petition closed on 27/4/22 with 8,461 signatures and since then the government has changed hands so I am writing to the new ministers with the below information.

I have copied and pasted key highlights below that support 26 weeks parental leave.

One of her closing statements is that the benefits of funding a scheme for more than 18 weeks would not be worth the additional costs of forgone spending on other areas such as health and child care. Breastfeeding is Preventive Medicine. It is proven to reduce the risk of Ovarian Cancer, Breast Cancer, Osteoporosis, Type 2 Diabetes, Hypertension, Stroke, Hyperlipidemia and Cardiovascular disease in Mothers. In Infants, it provides protection for the intestinal lining, protects against common colds, fever and serious illness. It protects against respiratory infections, ear infections, diarrhoea, UTI’s, sepsis, rotavirus and meningitis. It lowers the risk of breast cancer, chronic and autoimmune diseases, hypertension, high cholesterol, heart disease and asthma. And that is only the beginning!

So if breastfeeding provides all of that amazing goodness, how is it not worth the investment.

The Australian Parental Leave Pay (PLP) policy is currently up to 18 weeks paid at minimum wage. 

The WHO and UNICEF recommendations for breastfeeding of infants, is for children to be exclusively breastfed for 6 months. 

One of the main objectives of the Australian National Breastfeeding Strategy: 2019 and Beyond; is to increase the population of babies who are exclusively breastfed to around 6 months of age by 2025, particularly in priority populations and vulnerable groups. 

The most recent Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Breastfeeding report shows that at 4 months of age 61% of children were exclusively breastfed but at 6 months of age this dramatically drops to only 29% of children who were exclusively breastfeeding. 

There is strong evidence from diverse countries that longer duration of paid maternity leave increases breastfeeding duration and improves maternal health. One of these many studies can be found here.

Increasing access to paid maternity leave will have a direct positive impact on these national and worldwide health objectives. This structural policy change is in the direct ability of the Commonwealth Government to achieve. 

We therefore ask the House to immediately increase of the Australian Parental Leave Pay (PLP) Policy from 18 weeks to 26 weeks in line with the WHO recommendations and Australian national breastfeeding objectives.