Just one in twenty Australian fathers take primary parental leave, which is a low number by global standards. This article looks at why Australian fathers are reluctant to take parental leave, as well as the benefits for both families and businesses of shared parental leave.

The early years are a critical time for children’s development. Parents’ engagement in their children’s early development and learning has an impact on children’s later educational and life experiences and parents differ in their levels of engagement.

It has been widely recognised that maternity leave is important to the health of mothers. But what difference does paid maternity leave make? And does paid maternity leave help to reduce health inequalities?

Prime Minister Tony Abbott claims the Coalition announced plans to stop new mothers "double dipping" on paid parental leave before the 2013 election.

From 1 January 2011, the Australian Government implemented a new government-funded Paid Parental Leave (PPL) scheme. The evaluation was conducted in four phases. Findings informed the Government about the outcomes of the scheme, and they assessed the scheme’s likelihood of achieving its longer-term objectives.