Government to pay for maternity leave

"A red herring" is how Sex Discrimination Commissioner Pru Goward labelled claims that business will foot the bill for her proposed paid maternity leave scheme.

Speaking to 170 AICD Tasmania members and guests in Hobart recently, Goward (pictured) said she had always maintained that the scheme should be government-funded, as it is in other countries. The maternity leave scheme involves payment for 14 weeks leave at federal minimum wage and is available for women in paid work for 40 out of the past 52 weeks with any number of employers and/or in any number of positions. If adopted in the next financial year (2003/2004), the scheme is estimated to cost the Government $213 million.

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