Government should adopt extended parental leave

The Green Party enthusiastically supports the recommendations of the Children’s Commissioner to extend paid parental leave to 13 months.

“We hope these recommendations will be taken up by the Government,” Green MP Sue Kedgley says.

“Frankly, the present 14 weeks paid parental leave, one of the lowest in the Western world, is simply not enough for many parents. If we are serious about putting children first we would take up the call for extended paid parental leave without hesitation.

“Many families are struggling to cope with the demands of looking after babies and trying to maintain a liveable level of income

“We have to recognize that more and more parents are now relying on both their incomes. Many parents are forced to return to the workforce way before they ready to do so. Extended paid parental leave would give them the option of looking after their children fulltime if that what they chose,” Ms Kedgley says.