The Australian government passed the Paid Parental Leave Amendment (Flexibility Measures) Act 2020 in June 2020. This legislation provides parents with children born or adopted on or after 1 July 2020 more flexibility in how they take their paid parental leave.
Key details
Parents are currently entitled to up to 18 weeks (90 days) of continuous parental leave to be taken all at once. Under the Amendment, the 90-day entitlement still exists but there will be more flexibility in the timing of paid leave.
In the first 12 months after birth or adoption, parents must take a continuous period of 12 weeks (60 days) of paid parental leave. After that, within 24 months of a birth or adoption, parents have the flexibility to take the remaining 30 days of paid parental leave either immediately after the 60 days or in shorter blocks after the initial period.
Next steps
Employers should update their leave policies to comply with the new requirements for parental leave.
Additional resources
Parental Leave Pay is changing from 1 July 2020 (opens a new window)
Paid Parental Leave Amendment (Flexibility Measures) Bill 2020 (opens a new window)