Pressure on for more paid parental leave

When Victoria Dawson-Wheeler’s paid parental leave ends in a few weeks she is lucky enough not to be forced back to work.

Her family situation allows her to stay home but lots of other parents she knows would struggle.

The Auckland mother-of-two says she would like to see the paid leave period extended from 14 weeks.

‘‘It would make a huge difference to a lot of mums,’’ she says.

‘‘Parents will always make do and will have to sacrifice other things because of all the new expenses you find yourself with.

‘‘Mums are so low on support anyway, every little bit helps.’’

Concerned parents and members of the 26 For Babies coalition gathered in Albert Park last week to sign postcards to Prime Minister John Key asking him not to veto a bill which would extend paid parental leave to 26 weeks.

The bill, tabled by Labour MP Sue Moroney, passed its first reading in Parliament last year, but the Government has signalled it will veto it should it reach the third reading because it will be too costly.

Finance Minister Bill English says paid parental leave costs $150 million a year and extending it would mean borrowing $500m more over the next three or four years.

The bill passed its first reading with support from the Maori Party, the Green Party, NZ First, UnitedFuture and the Mana Party.

It is now before a parliamentary select committee, with a report due on September 19.

The 26 for Babies coalition, made up of organisations Every Child Counts, Plunket, Unicef, New Zealand Breastfeeding Authority, Women’s Studies Association New Zealand, Working Women’s Resource Centre and unions, is pushing for the Government to pass the bill.

Auckland co-ordinator and Auckland Women’s Centre manager Leonie Morris wants to stress the importance of providing parents with an additional 12 weeks of paid leave.

‘‘The only argument that has been advanced against this bill is cost, just as it was when paid parental leave was first introduced,’’ she says.

As a new father, Onehunga-based First Union organiser Jared Abbott says an extra 12 weeks would have given him the option to spend more time with his newborn.

‘‘The quality of the time and what we could provide for our child dropped dramatically once paid parental leave stopped,’’ he says. ‘‘ We really struggled, you’ve got your mortgage and an extra mouth to feed.

‘‘This bill isn’t about a free hand-out. This is about a critical time in a child’s development. Supporting parents through this financially difficult time is an investment into our future.’’