Petrol row fuels leadership speculation

Petrol row fuels leadership speculation	19.05.2008

Share this article:

05/19/2008		Earthquake in China
THE death toll in China has reached almost 32,500 after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Sichuan province

05/19/2008		Four children among dead in gun rampage
EIGHT people were killed, including at least four children, and six wounded in a shooting spree at a small farming community outside the Philippine capital today, police said

05/19/2008		Husband breaks down at power-cut inquest
THE husband of a New Zealand oxygen machine-reliant woman who died after electricity to their home was cut wept while giving evidence in court today

05/19/2008		UK to debate human-animal embryos
BRITISH politicians will today debate a Bill which would allow scientists to use animal-human hybrid embryos in research after Prime Minister Gordon Brown passionately defended the controversial plan

Today`s Top Picks

Turnbull puts rivals in a state

MALCOLM Turnbull is reportedly encouraging Liberal leadership rivals to leave and join state politics.

Have Your Say

Latest Comments:

We need to support mothers for our future and it should be the government that pays the companies so that one company would not feel hard done by if they hired women of baby giving ages! Life is so much more important than work and the first year of a babies life should be enjoyed. If you look at Norway where the father and mother both get a year off the country is doing very well indeed!
Posted by: Shane Williams of London 4:26am today

This government is all about "What Women Want"What about what the majority of the people responding to these irresponsible ideas?It IS NOT the responsibility of the tax payer to carry a family for their life style choice.Start a damn income insurance scheme they can pay into specifically for maternity/paternity leave.Why on earth is this idea not being looked at?
Posted by: Peter of Adelaide 4:24am today

Sexist? How about giving men equal rights? I'd love a year off to be with my kids. Typical socialist laborites.
Posted by: Evan of London 4:22am today

Read all 16 comments

We welcome your comments on this story. Comments are submitted for possible publication on the condition that they may be edited. Please provide your full name. We also require a working email address - not for publication, but for verification. The location field is optional.Read our publication guidelines.

Submit your feedback here:

Search for more stories on this topic on Newstext, our news archive service. Click here

Video

Watch this Video NOW!

Saving wet mobiles

CRASH Test 5 reveals ways to save mobile phones dropped in water, beer or the ocean.

Latest videos

Tools

Commissioner puts forward maternity leave plan
It would provide one year of paid leave
Unions advocate six months on full pay

WORKING women would be entitled to paid leave for one year after giving birth under a bold plan being sponsored by the Rudd Government`s key adviser on women`s issues.

Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick also wants fathers to get six weeks paid leave so they can bond with their children.

Only such a generous scheme would bring Australia into line with its human rights obligations and European standards on paid maternity leave, she said.

Ms Broderick yesterday put forward a two-stage plan for paid maternity leave.

Stage 1, to begin immediately, would give working women 14 weeks paid leave at the minimum wage ($522 a week before tax).

Fathers would get two weeks paid leave at the minimum wage rate.

Stage 2 of her scheme, to begin in two years, would give mothers and fathers a share in an additional 34 weeks` paid maternity leave.

Under Stage 2, all leave (including the first 14 weeks) would be paid at two-thirds of the mother`s previous income.

An additional four weeks of leave would be set aside on a "use it or lose it" basis for the father to take time off work.

The scheme would deliver major benefits for 300,000 working mothers.

Non-working mothers would not get paid maternity leave but would still receive the $5000 baby bonus and other family benefits, Ms Broderick said.

"This is about looking at paid working mothers suffering because of their maternal role in the paid workforce," she said.

"We see Stage 1 as a starting point. I think we have moved to a place where there`s a great deal of common view about what would be an acceptable starting point."

Mrs Broderick said some mothers were returning to work just two days after giving birth because they couldn`t afford to do otherwise.

Research by the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission found that only 34 per cent of mothers access paid maternity leave and 74 per cent of fathers take two weeks or less off after their partner gives birth.

Sole parents would be entitled to the whole leave.

Yesterday`s public hearing in Sydney was one of several being held around the country, with a report to be produced for the Rudd Government by next February.

Unions NSW also put forward their submission, calling for six months` paid parental leave at full pay.

Deputy assistant secretary and spokeswoman on women`s affairs Amanda Tattersall said it would be paid at a base rate by the government and topped up by employers.

"There`s never any question when it comes to sick leave or annual leave and we think the same philosophy should be applied here," she said.

There would be two weeks` leave before the birth and six months after the birth, she said.

Mrs Tattersall, who is 5 1/2 months pregnant, said the World Health Organisation recommended babies be breast fed for the first six months.

Sandra Bernal, who works as a personal assistant, said one year`s paid leave would be ideal.

She gets 16 weeks` paid leave but plans to take seven months off including annual leave.

"I can`t afford to take any more," she said.

Receptionist Katrina Farquhar, of West Ryde, is also entitled to 16 weeks` paid maternity leave but plans to take an extra eight months off unpaid.

"I`d like to see as much paid maternity leave as can be pushed for," she said.

NEWS.com.au is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Today`s Top Picks

Turnbull puts rivals in a state

MALCOLM Turnbull is reportedly encouraging Liberal leadership rivals to leave and join state politics.