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Leave scheme 'ignores' key child benefit |
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 Leave scheme 'ignores' key child benefit
In May, when the Federal Budget was released, the government announced the nation's first Paid Parental Leave (PPL) Scheme that takes effect in January. While it is clearly a step in the right direction for fathers who want time off to be with their new offspring, this scheme has attracted a fair amount of criticism from those who hoped it would be based on the Productivity Commission's model that recommended a two-week paternity leave component. Instead, the 18-week PPL scheme is loosely based around one or the other parent taking time off. Critics of the scheme say that by not offering paid leave to fathers, the government is ignoring benefits to families of having both a mother and father home immediately after the birth.
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