Parental Leave changes - 1 April 2016

Other Changes

• Parental leave payments are extended to non-standard employees (such as employees who are casual, seasonal or have more than one employer) and those who have recently changed jobs.
• Parental leave entitlements are extended to carers other than biological or formal adoptive parents.
• Employees who have been with their employer for more than 6 months (and who have worked an average of 10 hours per week in that period) are able to take a standard 26 weeks leave period (inclusive of the 18 weeks paid leave).
• Employees are able to take one or more periods of extended leave by mutual agreement (within the 26 weeks period for those with 6 months service and within the 52 weeks period for those with more than 12 months service).
• Employees are able to keep in touch with their work by working for up to 40 hours during their paid leave period by mutual agreement (but not within the first 28 days after birth or adoption).
• Employees may resign and retain their paid leave entitlement (currently the payment only continues where the employee is dismissed or made redundant, has a miscarriage or is no longer caring for the child, or the employee or the child dies.