What I want this Mother's Day is increased paid maternity leave and a ramp at my local train station. As we struggle to balance our multiple roles as mother, worker and citizen we need more than a new set of slippers and a facial to get us through the year. Being a mother is a tricky and demanding business which, like any other enterprise, requires a range of public goods that both support the venture and ensure its efficiency and productivity. At the top of my Mother's Day list is paid maternity leave. Federal legislation passed in 1979-80 delivered all Australian women the right to 12 months' unpaid maternity leave and their job back if they have been employed for a year or more.
Some women do receive a portion of paid maternity leave.
But what you get depends on where you work. If you are a teacher or nurse in NSW employed under a State award, you are entitled to nine weeks of paid maternity leave. Commonwealth employees such as academics do a bit better with 12 weeks' paid maternity leave. For women employed in the private sector there is no formal provision for paid maternity leave - it depends on the generosity of your employer. So while some of us might be lucky enough to have jobs that include a portion of paid maternity leave as part of our workplace entitlement, the total amount of paid leave available to Australian mothers is paltry and in no way adequate.