Katy Gallagher (ACT, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Public Service) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Ciccone for asking this question and acknowledge the role he plays in bringing up his lovely son, who brings joy into this chamber. Paid parental leave is a proud Labor legacy. Under the Albanese government, PPL is being expanded and reformed to better support modern families. From yesterday, 1 July, PPL has expanded to 22 weeks. Each parent has two weeks of leave reserved for them, and the rest of the weeks—now 18 weeks—can be shared however those parents decide. This gives families the flexibility and choice to decide how they want to care for their children. And it certainly sends a signal to dads and non birth parents that their care is important too and that we want to support them to be an active carer early in their children's lives.

These additional two weeks are the next step towards reaching 26 weeks of leave by 2026, delivering the largest expansion to PPL since Labor established it in 2011. When it is expanded to a full six months by 2026, families will receive an extra six weeks of paid leave following the birth or adoption of their child. That change started yesterday, and congratulations to those families who got a new family member yesterday. This builds on the changes from 1 July last year.

This morning I met a number of parents with small children, including one who was six days old and so, unfortunately, had just missed out on the extension—despite her mother's best efforts to hold on! I talked to them about the role of a government funded PPL scheme made in terms of easier choices for them as they're bringing up their children, including with the shared parenting and shared care arrangements that many families are opting for now.