Is it up to businesses to fund maternity leave?

9 Mar 2010
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Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has announced plans for six months paid parental leave - funded by employers.
Is it up to companies to foot the bill for their workers' decisions to raise a family? Or should the government pay?

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Maternity leave who pays?

Clavdivs - from Sydney, 2 years ago

The question is if employers should fund maternity leave, not if we should or should not have maternity leave. If the government wants to fund something if should do so from tax revenue collected from everyone, but the trend is to find people or businesses that have money and go after them. This encourages people to hide money or worse, not to make it in the first place. Yes maternity leave is good for the country so the country should fund it, but instead money collected is wasted.

A farce

James - from St Albans, 2 years ago

Businesses will pass on the cost of paid parental leave onto the consumer through increases in their goods and services who ultimately in the end up subsidising this hare-brained concept.
I do not see why the consumer-come-taxpayer should have the onerous burden of paying for someone else's offspring.
This ego-centric sense of entitlement has to stop, I am absolutely fed up with people always wanting handouts, if you cannot afford something, then don't buy it until you can pay for it.

Mr

Martin - from darwin, 2 years ago

Why should anybody have to pay if you want to have kids. My parents got no handout, we got no handout. We worked before we had a family, we worked whilst raising the family. As for the time off work needed, save up some money and save up some holidays. If you havent got a few years work behind you before you want a baby then your too young.

The madness of this world

E Wills - from Northern Rivers NSW, 2 years ago

It is such a shame that people cant see how stupid this whole subject is. Woman should be able to have children and be paid leave. How is it anyone has come to exist and the world goes round because of it. It's an ugly world when government and business cant both fit the bill, or come to some agreement. If you don't want workers to be born to make your business keep turning, run the world your self and fill your pockets with money. How stupid is this world, ask your self that question.

Discrimination

Tanya - from France, 2 years ago

I am an Australian living in France, where employers fund maternity leave. There is a vacancy at my workplace for which a friend of mine is perfect. But she is unacceptable to my boss because she is 28 and living with a long term boyfriend. He told me that she is of childbearing age and the business can't afford to fund both her maternity leave and the cost of replacing her whilst on that leave. If Governments need population growth, they must pay for the leave or discrimination occurs.

Should business fund materity leave

Ol Lady - from WA, 2 years ago

Definately not. If you want children you should pay for them yourself, why should I be expected to pay for other peoples family decisions. If you cannot afford to have a baby unaided however can you expect to support a child throughout its school years & beyond, if you cant afford kids, dont have them.

No

James - from Melbs, 2 years ago

Given how much a child will cost over its entire life, it is unlikely that an extra salary in the first year of its life (the cheapest year??) will make any difference to the affordability of a child. If this is the case, then you are so boardline on being able to afford one that it is not worth the risk given the negative outcome of not being able to provide for a child. Paid parental leave amounts to more holidays given that the actual benefit of the scheme is minimal over the childs life.

Mr

Wim - from Ipswich, 2 years ago

My wife brought five children in to this world without baby bonus in the fifties and sixties and during her motherhood se never worked, we lived to our means and were happy.

mr

andre daniel - from adelaide, 2 years ago

you have got to be joking,you want the baby,you pay for the baby

THATS NOT THE QUESTION!

Joan - from Victoria, 2 years ago

YOUR ALL MISSING THE POINT!!! PEOPLE SHOULD STOP HAVING CHILDREN. PERIOD! there should be a "NOT having a baby bonus"!!!

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