MEDIA RELEASE JMP/021211
Wednesday, December 11, 2002
SUBJECT: PAID MATERNITY LEAVE
A plan for all working women, affordable for the nation and well targeted – thatŐs what Australian women wanted! And Prue Goward is to be congratulated for developing a plan to deliver that.
BPW Australia welcomes the Sex Discrimination CommissionerŐs paper and congratulates her on recognising that Australian women need the same benefits enjoyed by women in other nations, whether they work for an employer or for themselves, in large and small business or in government.
BPW Australia has advocated strongly for universal responsibility –
That all taxpayers should contribute to Australia's future and its economic growth, not just business, particularly small business
BPW Australia is pleased that self employed women are recognised and valued in the CommissionerŐs recommendation and that they will receive warranted support for equal status for Paid Maternity benefits
BPW Australia will continue to consult with other stakeholders including corporate business, small business operators, unions and representative bodies and watch the progress of A Time to Value recommendations.
Under the banner of Security 4 Women, a consortium of partner organisations including CPA Women, AFUW [Australian Federation of University Women] and AWE [Association of Women Educators], BPW Australia is conducting a research project Lifelong Economic Well-being for Women, to research indicators that impede or progress economic security of Australian women throughout their lifecycle. PML is one factor that has been raised in the consultations that we have conducted around the country.