Paid Parental Leave scheme

The Paid Parental Leave scheme was introduced on 1 January 2011.

The Paid Parental Leave scheme provides Parental Leave Pay to support eligible working parents to take time off work after a birth or adoption.

Parents and employers can find out more more about Paid Parental Leave, including the eligibility requirements, the current rate of payment and how to apply, at the Services Australia website.

For more information about the Paid Parental Leave scheme see the Paid Parental Leave Guide.

News about Paid Parental Leave

The Government has announced that, subject to the passage of legislation, for babies born or adopted on or after 1 July 2025, eligible parents will receive an additional 12 per cent of their Government-funded Paid Parental Leave as a contribution to their superannuation fund. Further details will be released in the 2024-25 Budget.

Minister Rishworth's media release - Paying super on Government Paid Parental Leave

The Paid Parental Leave scheme currently provides families up to 20 weeks of payment for a child, with 2 weeks reserved for each parent in a couple.

Under the amendments in the Paid Parental Leave Amendment (More Support for Working Families) Act 2024, from 1 July 2024, 2 weeks of payment will be added to Parental Leave Pay each year to 2026. This will increase the overall length of the Paid Parental Leave scheme by 6 weeks from July 2026.

From July 2026, a total of 4 weeks will be reserved for each parent in a couple on a ‘use it or lose' it basis. This will help to encourage greater sharing of care responsibilities.

The amendments will also increase the number of Parental Leave Pay days that a family is able to take together (at the same time) to 4 weeks. This will increase flexibility for families and support parents to take time off work together after a birth.

Minister Rishworth’s media release - New laws expand Paid Parental Leave

Minister Rishworth’s media release - Delivering an historic expansion of Paid Parental Leave

Current Paid Parental Leave evaluation

As part of the expansion of the scheme, the Government is completing a comprehensive 4 phase evaluation of the Paid Parental Leave scheme. The evaluation will look at the impact of the reforms and the scheme as a whole.

Review of the Paid Parental Leave scheme

The Australian Government undertook a legislated review in 2013 and 2014 of the Paid Parental Leave scheme. The review took into account the matters set out in legislation and drew on:

  • submissions
  • consultations
  • administrative data
  • available findings of the independent Paid Parental Leave evaluation.

Read the Paid Parental Leave scheme review report.

2010-2014 Paid Parental Leave evaluation

An independent evaluation of the Paid Parental Leave scheme was completed over 4 phases between 2010 and 2014. The evaluation was conducted by a consortium of experts led by the University of Queensland’s Institute for Social Science Research. It is based on data collected through interviews and surveys with parents and employers.

Four reports have been produced under the evaluation:

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