Paid parenting leave: the debate we still need to have

WHEN paid parental leave came into effect on 1 January this year it received relatively little press coverage, which might seem strange given its importance for those looking to juggle the demands of a family and a career. There was the odd story about a family missing out on the payment by a few hours following the birth of a child late on New Year’s Eve. But there was nothing of the fanfare that had surrounded the policy’s announcement in the 2009 federal budget, nor of the debate that it had sparked during the 2010 federal election campaign…