1 00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:05,040 Speaker 1: My name is Lily Maddon and I'm a proud Arunda 2 00:00:05,240 --> 00:00:10,040 Speaker 1: Bungelung Caalcutin woman from Gadighl Country. The Daily oz acknowledges 3 00:00:10,119 --> 00:00:12,320 Speaker 1: that this podcast is recorded on the lands of the 4 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:15,880 Speaker 1: Gadighl people and pays respect to all Aboriginal and Torres 5 00:00:15,880 --> 00:00:18,799 Speaker 1: Straight Island and nations. We pay our respects to the 6 00:00:18,800 --> 00:00:21,599 Speaker 1: first peoples of these countries, both past and present. 7 00:00:31,680 --> 00:00:34,479 Speaker 2: Good morning and welcome to the Daily os. It's Tuesday, 8 00:00:34,520 --> 00:00:35,720 Speaker 2: the sixth of September. 9 00:00:35,800 --> 00:00:38,760 Speaker 3: I'm Zara and I'm Billy standing in for Sam. 10 00:00:39,159 --> 00:00:43,040 Speaker 2: Should the government expand paid parental leave from eighteen weeks 11 00:00:43,080 --> 00:00:46,519 Speaker 2: to twenty six? Home Minisner Anthony Alberizi has said, well, 12 00:00:46,560 --> 00:00:50,560 Speaker 2: it's a worthy idea. The government is constricted by budget constraints, 13 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:53,640 Speaker 2: so where does that leave working parents? And could we 14 00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:55,960 Speaker 2: see a boost to parental leave anytime soon? 15 00:00:56,440 --> 00:00:57,720 Speaker 4: We'll tell you what you need to know in the 16 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:00,960 Speaker 4: deep dive. But first, Billy, what is making headlines this morning? 17 00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:05,800 Speaker 3: Liz Truss is the new Prime Minister of the United 18 00:01:05,959 --> 00:01:10,200 Speaker 3: Kingdom after defeating Rishi Sunak in the Conservative Party leadership race. 19 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:13,480 Speaker 3: Trus will now travel to Balmoral Castle in Scotland where 20 00:01:13,480 --> 00:01:16,400 Speaker 3: the Queen will appoint her to the UK top office. 21 00:01:16,640 --> 00:01:19,080 Speaker 3: That usually happens at Buckingham Palace, but due to the 22 00:01:19,160 --> 00:01:23,000 Speaker 3: Queen's mobility issues, it will be at Balmoral Castle this time. 23 00:01:23,720 --> 00:01:26,560 Speaker 3: Trusts will be the fifteenth Prime Minister of the Queen's 24 00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:30,319 Speaker 3: reign and the UK's third ever female leader, following Margaret 25 00:01:30,319 --> 00:01:31,640 Speaker 3: Thatcher and Theresa May. 26 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:37,039 Speaker 2: Several welfare payments will rise about four percent in two 27 00:01:37,080 --> 00:01:40,240 Speaker 2: weeks to reflect historically fast levels of inflation. 28 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:40,800 Speaker 4: This year. 29 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:44,240 Speaker 2: Payments will include job seeker and the age Pension, and 30 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:47,960 Speaker 2: comes as the first indexation since March, which hopes to 31 00:01:47,960 --> 00:01:52,280 Speaker 2: reflect the real value of everyday expenses like groceries and petrol. 32 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:57,400 Speaker 3: The Reserve Bank of Australia's board will meet today, where 33 00:01:57,440 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 3: it's expected that they will agree to raise the cashrat 34 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:03,320 Speaker 3: for the fifth successive month. The Reserve Bank has increased 35 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:06,840 Speaker 3: the cash rate to combat rising inflation so rising prices, 36 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:09,799 Speaker 3: with another hike expected from the current one point eight 37 00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:10,840 Speaker 3: five percent figure. 38 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:17,360 Speaker 2: And today's good news, actor Brendan Fraser, who you might 39 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:19,800 Speaker 2: remember from the late nineties classics like George of the 40 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:23,280 Speaker 2: Jungle and The Mummy, has received an eight minute standing 41 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:26,440 Speaker 2: ovation at the premiere of his upcoming film The Whale. 42 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:29,400 Speaker 2: Fraser actually retired from acting a few years ago, but 43 00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:30,840 Speaker 2: he is making a comeback. 44 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:35,080 Speaker 4: Okay. 45 00:02:35,120 --> 00:02:39,000 Speaker 2: So last week the government's Jobs and Skill Summit brought 46 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:43,840 Speaker 2: together unions, employers, governments and other people in the industry 47 00:02:43,960 --> 00:02:47,799 Speaker 2: to talk about issues like skilled worker shortages and one 48 00:02:47,800 --> 00:02:50,240 Speaker 2: of the things that came up was paid parental leave. 49 00:02:50,720 --> 00:02:51,680 Speaker 4: Billy, can you talk me. 50 00:02:51,639 --> 00:02:54,720 Speaker 2: Through the proposal that was discussed at the summit last week? 51 00:02:55,120 --> 00:02:58,120 Speaker 3: So the Business Council of Australia, so they are the 52 00:02:58,160 --> 00:03:01,240 Speaker 3: peak body for businesses in the country, and then also 53 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:04,160 Speaker 3: the Australian Council of Trade Unions, so the union that 54 00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:08,880 Speaker 3: has oversight over all unions, partly used this summit, ZARA, 55 00:03:08,960 --> 00:03:11,840 Speaker 3: to call for the national paid Parental Leave scheme to 56 00:03:11,919 --> 00:03:15,639 Speaker 3: be expanded from eighteen weeks to twenty six weeks plus 57 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:18,400 Speaker 3: super So essentially they want parents who have just had 58 00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:20,960 Speaker 3: a new born to get more leave after and they 59 00:03:21,000 --> 00:03:23,480 Speaker 3: also called for any changes to the current system to 60 00:03:23,639 --> 00:03:27,639 Speaker 3: help both parents access more parental leave. So the idea 61 00:03:27,680 --> 00:03:31,880 Speaker 3: being that this would help embed a culture of sharing responsibilities. 62 00:03:31,919 --> 00:03:34,040 Speaker 3: We know that it's usually the mother and they're saying 63 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 3: that they want to embed this culture of sharing that leave. 64 00:03:37,800 --> 00:03:40,960 Speaker 3: So the idea was proposed, and then the summit's keynote 65 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:45,000 Speaker 3: speaker the Gradin Institute economist Daniel Wood. She also used 66 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:48,400 Speaker 3: her speech to call for more equal parental leave. She 67 00:03:48,480 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 3: said that it's an untapped economic opportunity, so essentially that 68 00:03:52,080 --> 00:03:55,720 Speaker 3: the economy will benefit if we do expand parental leave. 69 00:03:56,360 --> 00:03:58,560 Speaker 3: She said, and this is a quote I can't help 70 00:03:58,600 --> 00:04:02,320 Speaker 3: but reflect that if unt app women's workforce participation was 71 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:05,960 Speaker 3: a massive or deposit, we would have governments lining up 72 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:08,760 Speaker 3: to give tax concessions to get it out of the ground. 73 00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:12,000 Speaker 2: I mean, it's a pretty strong quote and not necessarily 74 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:15,280 Speaker 2: going to disagree with that proposition, But talk me through 75 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:18,719 Speaker 2: what we have currently in the realm of paid parental 76 00:04:18,760 --> 00:04:19,760 Speaker 2: leave in Australia. 77 00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:23,320 Speaker 3: Okay, Well, first of all, instead of having just parents 78 00:04:23,360 --> 00:04:27,040 Speaker 3: applying for leave, the current system has two categories, a 79 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:31,120 Speaker 3: primary CARER and a secondary care and currently the primary 80 00:04:31,200 --> 00:04:34,760 Speaker 3: care in Australia gets eighteen weeks of leave at minimum 81 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:38,400 Speaker 3: wage and the other parent is eligible for two weeks 82 00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:42,760 Speaker 3: at minimum wage under a program named Dad and Partner Pay. Now, 83 00:04:42,760 --> 00:04:46,320 Speaker 3: the previous coalition government did have plans to change this. 84 00:04:46,440 --> 00:04:49,680 Speaker 3: So I think that it's something that governments have realized 85 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:53,320 Speaker 3: that it is quite gendered the current system, and so 86 00:04:53,440 --> 00:04:56,600 Speaker 3: before the last election they announced a plan to merge 87 00:04:56,600 --> 00:04:59,880 Speaker 3: the current paid parental leave scheme into one block form 88 00:05:00,200 --> 00:05:04,200 Speaker 3: both Parents. Now. While this was praised is something that 89 00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:09,080 Speaker 3: could change the current gendered nature, some experts warned that 90 00:05:09,320 --> 00:05:14,000 Speaker 3: it wouldn't incentivize equal sharing, noting that ninety nine point 91 00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:18,120 Speaker 3: five percent of parental leave pay is currently taken by mothers. 92 00:05:18,480 --> 00:05:20,080 Speaker 4: Okay, so, Billy, that all makes sense. 93 00:05:20,200 --> 00:05:23,359 Speaker 2: But how does our paid parental leaf system compare with 94 00:05:23,440 --> 00:05:25,000 Speaker 2: other countries across the world. 95 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:28,320 Speaker 3: Okay, this is something I find so interesting, and that's 96 00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:32,200 Speaker 3: that the US has no federally funded parental leave and 97 00:05:32,240 --> 00:05:35,760 Speaker 3: despite Democrats campaigning on it at the twenty twenty election, 98 00:05:35,880 --> 00:05:38,919 Speaker 3: they've made no progress, although it is to be pointed 99 00:05:38,960 --> 00:05:40,960 Speaker 3: out that this is now a focus leading up to 100 00:05:41,040 --> 00:05:44,360 Speaker 3: the midterms which are in November, which we will do 101 00:05:44,400 --> 00:05:47,400 Speaker 3: and explain on when we are closer to it. But 102 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:49,599 Speaker 3: then on the other end of the spectrum, a bunch 103 00:05:49,640 --> 00:05:53,200 Speaker 3: of countries offer up to or even over a year's 104 00:05:53,200 --> 00:05:57,320 Speaker 3: worth of paid leave, and that's including Canada, Sweden, Cuba, 105 00:05:57,360 --> 00:05:59,320 Speaker 3: and that list goes on and on. 106 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:04,040 Speaker 2: Okay, So back to the proposed changes to paid parental leave. 107 00:06:04,600 --> 00:06:07,280 Speaker 2: How did the government respond to this idea. 108 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:10,360 Speaker 3: I'll tell you in a moment, but first a message 109 00:06:10,400 --> 00:06:15,360 Speaker 3: from our sponsor. Okay, we're back, so Zara, you asked 110 00:06:15,400 --> 00:06:18,279 Speaker 3: me how the government responded to the idea to expand 111 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:22,440 Speaker 3: paid parentally So, following the summit, the government has promised 112 00:06:22,440 --> 00:06:25,120 Speaker 3: to change the Fair Work Act to make it easier 113 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:28,600 Speaker 3: to access unpaid parentally but obviously that's not what we're 114 00:06:28,640 --> 00:06:31,520 Speaker 3: talking about right now, So the government has not made 115 00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:36,039 Speaker 3: any commitment on paid parental leave, only unpaid parental leave, 116 00:06:36,520 --> 00:06:39,920 Speaker 3: although in an interview, Alberanezi said that the government would 117 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:43,080 Speaker 3: look at it. He said, quote, we certainly would like 118 00:06:43,160 --> 00:06:46,200 Speaker 3: to do more, but we have inherited one trillion dollars 119 00:06:46,240 --> 00:06:50,039 Speaker 3: of debt. It is a worthy idea and worthy of consideration. 120 00:06:50,400 --> 00:06:52,760 Speaker 3: So basically he's saying that they'll think about it, but 121 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:55,640 Speaker 3: they're always going to be somewhat restricted. 122 00:06:55,600 --> 00:06:59,520 Speaker 2: Okay, And he's ultimately insinuating there that he's restricted because 123 00:06:59,520 --> 00:07:02,960 Speaker 2: of what the now opposition but former government did during 124 00:07:02,960 --> 00:07:07,160 Speaker 2: their time in government. How did the liberal opposition respond 125 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:10,720 Speaker 2: to this idea of expanding paid parental leave well. 126 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:13,920 Speaker 3: Susan Lee, the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, was asked 127 00:07:13,920 --> 00:07:16,840 Speaker 3: about whether she would like to see improved parental leave 128 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:20,080 Speaker 3: last week on Sky News by Peter Stephan Novik, and 129 00:07:20,120 --> 00:07:23,240 Speaker 3: she said, quote, well, look at anything that makes sense, 130 00:07:23,400 --> 00:07:25,840 Speaker 3: and that should be meeting women's groups in Sydney that 131 00:07:25,920 --> 00:07:27,920 Speaker 3: day to hear from them, to listen to them and 132 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:28,880 Speaker 3: to learn from them. 133 00:07:29,280 --> 00:07:32,400 Speaker 2: It'll be really interesting to see whether the government actually 134 00:07:32,560 --> 00:07:36,320 Speaker 2: acts on this proposal. There was a lot of enthusiasm 135 00:07:36,320 --> 00:07:38,760 Speaker 2: when we posted about it on Instagram, so much so 136 00:07:38,840 --> 00:07:41,480 Speaker 2: that we actually had a member of Parliament commenting that 137 00:07:41,720 --> 00:07:44,240 Speaker 2: he was in support of it. So, Senator Pocock, if 138 00:07:44,280 --> 00:07:45,679 Speaker 2: you are listening to this, we will. 139 00:07:45,480 --> 00:07:46,160 Speaker 4: Hold you to that. 140 00:07:46,760 --> 00:07:50,040 Speaker 2: But an interesting topic that affects lots and lots of 141 00:07:50,080 --> 00:07:52,960 Speaker 2: people and certainly one we will be keeping an eye on. 142 00:07:59,200 --> 00:08:01,200 Speaker 2: Thank you for joining us us on today's episode of 143 00:08:01,200 --> 00:08:03,680 Speaker 2: The Daily OS. If you have learnt something new from 144 00:08:03,680 --> 00:08:06,240 Speaker 2: today's episode, feel free to send it to a friend. 145 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:08,720 Speaker 4: It is how this little podcast grows. 146 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:11,480 Speaker 2: We'll be back again tomorrow, but until then, have a 147 00:08:11,520 --> 00:08:16,960 Speaker 2: great day.