Men must be given at least an extra week of paid parental leave on a use-it-or-lose-it basis to ensure recent changes announced by the Albanese government do not inadvertently worsen gender equality, a prominent economist has warned.

At the Australian Labor Party’s New South Wales state conference on Saturday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese unveiled plans to expand taxpayer-funded parental leave from 20 weeks to 26 weeks by 2026.