Key Points from the Productivity Commission Report
In April of this year I created a petition to increase paid parental leave from 18 weeks to 26 weeks and I gave a number of evidence based recommendations to justify the increase based on best practice for breastfeeding (because that’s what I do and is my passion!). I also sent letters to various ministers and was told by the then social services minister that the 2009 Productivity Commission Report that was the basis for the decision around 18 weeks. I’ve since gone through the entire 585 page report shows evidence on so many levels that 6 months is the optimal length of time for parental leave, not just for breastfeeding outcomes, but overall child development, child attachment and maternal and parenting outcomes. The petition closed on 27/4/22 with 8,461 signatures and since then the government has changed hands so I am writing to the new ministers with the below information.
I have copied and pasted key highlights below that support 26 weeks parental leave.
Highlights from the report include:
The evidence is most compelling that there are child health and wellbeing benefits from exclusive parental care in the first six months of life.
Between 11 and 17 per cent of mothers return to work before their child is 3 months old.
Between 26 and 31 per cent of mothers return to work before their child is 6 months old.
The biomedical literature suggests there are benefits from breastfeeding for infants and children (particularly if exclusively breastfed for six months) as well as for mothers. The evidence also suggests a positive association between paid parental leave and the duration of breastfeeding. Paid parental leave, together with support for breastfeeding, has the potential to improve breastfeeding rates.
In Australia, most women exclusively breastfeed for much shorter periods than six months (and significantly less than women in many other developed countries). While the majority of Australian women commence breastfeeding (92 per cent of babies are breastfed at birth), just 14 per cent are exclusively breastfed at six months
The evidence is most compelling that six months exclusive parental care fosters improved developmental outcomes.
Impact on Breastfeeding Initiation
Some studies suggest that returning to employment has little or no impact on breastfeeding initiation (Lindberg 1996, Dennis 2002). Others, however, indicate that women who return to work after only a brief period of leave are less likely to initiate breastfeeding.
Results from this large representative cohort of Australian infants confirm that maternal employment in the first 6 months of life contributes to premature cessation of breastfeeding even when known risk factors of breastfeeding cessation are controlled for.
Worldwide Recommendations
The Australian National Health and Medical Research Council states that: ‘For Australia, it is recommended that as many infants as possible be exclusively breastfed until 6 months of age. Although the greatest benefits from breastfeeding are to be gained in the early months, especially from exclusive breastfeeding for at least six months, there is no doubt that breastfeeding provides benefits that continue beyond this time.
While the breastfeeding initiation rate meets the National Health and Medical Research Council’s (NHMRC) target, the rate of breastfeeding at six months is well below 80 per cent, a goal considered by the Council to be achievable in Australia.
The WHO recommends exclusive breastfeeding for six months.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has recommended six months as the optimal duration of exclusive breastfeeding since 1997.
Developmental Outcomes
By allowing mothers (and, or fathers) to stay home and care for their infants, parental leave may be expected to result in improved health and development outcomes for infants. And, there is some evidence to suggest that longer periods of paid parental leave are associated with reduced rates of infant mortality.
Most of the more recent evidence tends to support the view that the use of non- parental care/child care (usually necessitated by maternal employment) when initiated within the first year of a child’s life can contribute to behavioural problems and, in some contexts, delayed cognitive development.
Evidence of problems is generally stronger when child care is initiated very early (3 to 4 months or less), when maternal employment is full-time and when the child care arrangement is for long hours and of low quality.
On balance, the evidence points to a greater potential for negative effects on child development if a mother’s return to employment is made before three to six months and the child is in non-parental care for extended periods of time. There appears to be a greater potential for positive effects if a return to employment is made between 12 to 18 months.
For Fathers
The evidence suggests that early father involvement in a child’s life is of particular importance for the child’s later emotional, cognitive and social well-being. Father involvement can also act to protect child wellbeing when mothers return to work early in a child’s life.
There is some evidence to suggest that fathers’ involvement with their children at an early age leads to increases in the father’s continuing involvement throughout childhood.
A number of other countries, by legislating periods of paid parental leave exclusively for the use of fathers (generally between two to four weeks), have tried to get fathers to spend more time with their children. And, these policies have had some success, but, as observed by the OECD they have not resulted in fundamental behavioural change.
Commentary by Industry Groups
While many participants supported the 18 week period of leave, others questioned the discrepancy between the recommended six month period for enhancing child and maternal health and wellbeing and the 18 week period.
Offering less than 6 months while acknowledging the compelling evidence for the need for 6 months seems both contradictory and unethical, as well as poor economic sense if we know that not providing sound conditions for the baby’s development means paying more later to try to make up for what was lost in health, secure emotional attachment, intellectual and social development. In terms of future productivity, it’s hard to think of a more effective investment than providing conditions for a sound start to life.
NPEC believes that the paid leave should be available as parental leave, to be taken by either parent, or by the mother’s same sex partner. It may best suit some families for the father/partner to take paid leave to provide care for the baby and for the mother to return to paid work. For some mothers breastfeeding is not possible. In some families the mother may earn more than the other parent/partner and therefore household welfare is maximised by her return to work. Paid and unpaid leave for fathers also addresses the issue of gender equity in parenting and in modifying workforce participation due to caring responsibilities.
These are obviously only some of the highlights and it is interesting that the choice was made for 18 weeks, not only without evidence to support that number, but unwavering evidence that supports that the full 26 weeks leads to optimal outcomes for everyone involved.
We firmly believe that the 26 weeks should be open to every family to decide for themselves, how they wish to divide the weeks leave and payment, based on their own unique family situation which would factor their own financial and desired parenting outcomes. This should be free from government overreach and dictating the terms or stipulations of the payment including any “bonuses” for usage.
I am continuing to fight for change to this policy and will keep you posted as to what happens next!
Peta x