The Parental Leave and Employment Protection Amendment Bill was passed to extend the duration of paid parental leave to 26 weeks.
The law increased the duration of parental leave payments over 3 years and 2 stages:
The extension aimed to support working families with newborns and young children and help reduce financial stress.
The new law also proportionately increased the number of Keeping in Touch days:
Keeping in Touch days allow parents to do limited work while on parental leave, if they choose to, for example to attend a team day or an organisational announcement.
Our employment website has the most up-to-date information about parental leave, including eligibility, payments and returning to work.