Parental leave overhaul for public sector workers in NSW

The NSW Government has announced a huge change to the parental leave scheme.

The NSW Government has announced all parents who work in the public sector will be eligible for up to 16 weeks of leave.

The state government will scrap the distinction between ‘primary’ and ‘secondary’ caregivers to allow both parents to take at least 14 weeks of leave.

The overhaul of the current scheme will also reward parents who share parental leave entitlements more equally with another two weeks of ‘bonus leave’.

Parents will be able to access ‘bonus leave’ when each parent has used at least 12 weeks of parental leave.

The NSW Government has announced an overhaul of the parental leave scheme. Picture: iStock

The bonus arrangement, which the government hailed as an Australian first, will also apply to parents employed in the private sector who have depleted their employer’s leave entitlements.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said the government hoped to modernise the parental leave scheme to encourage more men to take leave.

“While most parents across Australia are entitled to paid primary parental leave, only 12 per cent of those who take it are men,” the father-of-seven said.

“Supporting all parents to spend more precious days with their newborn children helps them form bonds that last a lifetime.”

The current leave scheme for public sector employees dictates that only the primary carers can access 14 weeks’ parental leave, while the secondary carer can access a fortnight of parental leave at the time of the child’s birth or adoption.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet and his wife Helen have seven children. Picture: Jenny Evans

NSW Treasurer Matt Kean said it was time to remove the arbitrary distinction.

“Children don’t see their parents as ‘primary carers’ or ‘secondary carers’ – just as mums or dads,” he said.

“Encouraging more dads to take up parental leave is crucial to supporting all parents to be able to choose to have a career, have a family or have both.”

Under the amended scheme, public sector employees will have an extra year to take parental leave. Parents will be able to access the leave until two years after the birth or adoption of their child.

“These changes to our parental leave offerings will encourage more equal sharing of caring responsibilities right from the start of a child’s life,” the state’s Minister for Women Bronnie Taylor said.

Under the overhaul of the parental leave scheme, single parents will be eligible for the full 16 weeks of parental leave.

The NSW Government hopes to encourage more men to take parental leave.

In a massive win for foster parents, permanent or long-term foster carers will also be able to access parental leave.

The NSW Treasurer said he hoped the overhaul of the public sector parental leave scheme, which will take effect in October, would set the precedent for other employers around the country.

The announcement comes days after an estimated 30,000 NSW public sector workers rallied across the state in protest of the slow growth of wages.