Paid Parental Leave historical evaluation and review

Evaluation of the scheme

The Paid Parental Leave scheme was evaluated over a four-year period, from 2010 to 2014. Findings informed the Government about the immediate impact of the scheme. They also assessed the scheme’s likelihood of achieving its longer-term objectives.

We commissioned the University of Queensland to do the evaluation. They headed a team of 20 academics from 5 Australian research institutions.

Mothers who took part in the evaluation also participated in the Millennium Mums project(Opens in a new tab/window), a national study of working mothers who had babies in October and November 2011. The project investigated their experience of employer provided leave and their decisions about paid employment, family life, health and wellbeing around the birth of their baby.  

Evaluation phases

The evaluation had 4 phases.

Phase 1

This established robust baseline data.  

Read the Paid Parental Leave evaluation Phase 1 report or the Summary of Phase One (baseline) findings.

Phase 2

This evaluated the initial operation of the scheme. 

Read the Paid Parental Leave evaluation Phase 2 report.

Phase 3

This evaluated the intermediate and, where possible, ultimate outcomes of the scheme.

Read the Paid Parental Leave evaluation Phase 3 report.

Phase 4

This phase delivered the final evaluation report. This included a report on the evaluation of Dad and Partner Pay.

Read the Paid Parental Leave evaluation Phase 4 report.

Review of Paid Parental Leave

The Australian Government undertook a Review of the Paid Parental Leave Scheme. The review started in January 2013 and the report was published in June 2014.

The review was required under the Paid Parental Leave Act 2010(Opens in a new tab/window).

The review looked at the matters set out in legislation. It drew on submissions, consultations and administrative data. It also considered the emerging findings of the independent Paid Parental Leave evaluation.