News

Big win for parents: Paid Parental Leave update

Parental Leave – April 2021 (PDF version)

In the 2020-21 Budget, the NSW Government pledged it would offer the state’s public servants “14 weeks leave to a new child’s primary carer, regardless of gender”.

Following this announcement, a Parental Leave Working Group was established, convened by the Public Service Commission.   

Your union has been in consultation with Public Sector Industrial Relations, and on Tuesday we were presented with a draft outline of the proposed policy. 

The Updated Leave Entitlement

All public sector employees in the state system are currently entitled to up to 14 weeks’ paid parental leave if the maternal parent, or up to one week paid leave if the “other” parent.

Under the new proposal, all new parents will potentially have access to up to 14 weeks’ paid parental leave. 

It is proposed that there will now be two categories of Paid Parental Leave:

o          Paid Parental Leave (birth or primary parent at time of birth, adoption or surrogacy)

• 14 weeks’ paid leave
• Can be taken at 28 weeks on half pay
• Can potentially be used flexibly
• Must be taken in the first 12 months from birth.

o          Paid Parental leave, Other Parent (Parent with primary responsibility for the care of the child not at the time of the birth, adoption or surrogacy)

• 2 weeks’ paid leave at time of birth
• 12 weeks’ additional paid leave (if primary carer)
• Additional 12 weeks can be taken at 24 weeks on half pay
• Can potentially be used flexibly
• Must be taken in the first 12 months from birth.

Implementation

o          Arrangements due to take effect on and from 1 July 2021.

o          It is intended that the new arrangements will be implemented through:

• Industrial Relations Secretary Determination to apply to all Public Service employees
• Premier’s Memorandum for the remainder of the Government Sector
• Implementation in Awards thereafter.

A big thank you to all PSA members and delegates – men and women, former and current – who have campaigned on this issue. It is your passion, dedication and advocacy that have gotten us here.

This is a BIG WIN for working parents, and has been hard fought. The PSA first asked the NSW Government to consider 14 weeks’ paid leave for parents regardless of gender a decade ago.

Whilst the PSA welcomes and celebrates this proposal, we also note that it is not without imperfections, nor has it been delivered yet. The next step in the advancement of parental leave entitlements will be to enshrine it into all Awards, which the Government has said it is open to discuss. 

Finally, the PSA has been asked to provide feedback on the Parental Leave Working Group’s proposal. If you have any questions, or would like to contribute to your union’s feedback, please email PSA Research Officer Laura Moss at by close of business 16 April 2021.