Paid Parental Leave now locked in
Friday, July 23rd, 2010Over the next 12 months, Australian employers will face further changes to the minimum safety net of employment entitlements. The Paid Parental Leave Bill 2010 (Cth) received Royal Assent on 14 July 2010, and introduces a national Paid Parental Leave Scheme, which is scheduled to commence on 1 January 2011.
For the first half of 2011, a six-month grace period will apply. In that period employers will be able to “opt-in” to administer parental leave payments, should they choose to do so.
From 1 July 2011, all employers will be obliged to administer the Scheme for their eligible employees.
Overview of the Paid Parental Leave Scheme
The main features of the Scheme are as follows:
- Subject to qualifying criteria, full-time, part-time and casual employees will be eligible for parental leave payments.
- Paid parental leave will be a government funded “entitlement” calculated at the Federal minimum wage rate, adjusted annually. This rate is currently $569.90 per week for a full time employee.
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