The Federal Government has announced amendments to the Fair Work Act that will allow for further support to be extended to mothers and fathers.

Federal Minister for Employment and Workpalce Relations, bill Shorten, said that new and expecting mums who want to work will receive the appropriate support under the amendments.

“The rise and rise of women playing a central role in modern workplaces is a welcome fact of life,” Mr Shorten said. 

“We want to better protect pregnant women at work and we want to provide more flexibility for families with newborn children.”

Under changes announced today the Government will:

  • Increase the entitlement for parents taking unpaid leave together from 3 to 8 weeks;
  • Allow parents to choose when they can take their unpaid parental leave together;
  • Protect women at work by ensuring that they can transfer to a safe job where one is available, regardless of their length of service; and, 
  • Ensure that women who need to take unpaid special maternity leave, prior to giving birth, are not penalised by a reduction in their unpaid parental leave entitlements, as recommended by the independent Review Panel which reviewed the Fair Work Act.  

The Government will also expressly provide employees with the right to request flexible work arrangements from their employer when they return to work after a period of parental leave. 

“As the independent Review Panel found, many employees are not aware of their right to request entitlements,"  Mr Shorten said. 

"The Government believes expressly reflecting the right to request flexible work arrangements when returning from parental leave in the Fair Work Act is one appropriate way to achieve this.