Election Factsheets

The 2004 Federal Election will be a pivotal one for workers. Find below tools and resources for activists to use while campaigning in Election 2004.

ACTU Work and Family Factsheet – read what union members say about balancing work and family responsibilities, the Work Life collision, and about what the ACTU’S Work and Family Test Case.

ACTU Work Factsheet – read how the world of work is impacting on Australian workers, the changing face of the workplace, the future of work and the Liberal vision.

ACTU Health Factsheet – read what health professionals say about the state of bulk billing and our hospitals, five things the Howard Government’s Medicare ads don’t tell us and things that you can do.

ACTU Education Factsheet – read what teachers and students say about the state of our education system, counting the costs to education of eight years of Liberal Government and things you can do.

For more news, information and resources visit the ACTU’s Election Website.

ACTU Congress 2003

Maternity Leave, Child Care, and Work and Family will be major issues on the agenda at the ACTU Congress 2003 to be held from the 18-21 August in Melbourne. For more information:

• Read the Work and Family background paper.
• Read the Work and Family policy.
• Contribute to a discussion group about the ACTU's Work and Family policy for Congress 2003
• Read the Child Care background paper.
• Read the Child Care policy.
• Contribute to a discussion group about the ACTU's Child Care policy for Congress 2003

What The ACTU Is Doing

As part of the campaign the ACTU will:

• Make a submission to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Inquiry into Paid Maternity Leave.
• Continue to support affiliate unions in bargaining for paid maternity leave. The ACTU has prepared a resource kit for this purpose.
• Lobby state governments to support ILO Resolution 183. Read about the ACTU’s position on this ILO Resolution.
• Work with political parties to bring about the introduction of paid maternity leave for all Australian women.

Campaign Resources

Bargaining for Paid Maternity Leave this ACTU resource kit is designed to assist unions to bargain for paid maternity leave.

Working Families in the New Millennium - An ACTU Action Plan - This booklet is designed for union officers, delegates and activists. It sets out the ACTU’s commitment to achieving family friendly workplaces for all Australian workers. It sets out the history of current entitlements in awards and how these have been built on by current enterprise agreements. Examples of agreed clauses above the award standard in relation to additional unpaid leave, paid maternity and parental leave, carer’s leave, pre-natal leave, elder care leave, part-time work and flexible working hours are included. There is also a summary of recent literature and research, with a focus on studies of employee attitudes in order to inform union officers about current thinking about work and family issues.

Make Maternity Leave Protection a Reality

This kit, (produced by ICFTU and downloadable as PDFs), is designed to assist workers, trade unions and community organisations campaign to make maternity protection a reality for working women.

Speeches

Address To ALP Women's Conference - in this speech ALP leader Simon Crean covers a number of issues including paid maternity leave, giving women a bigger say in the running of the ALP, and the need to help working families. (27 April 2002).

Social Responsibility Is Smart Management - businesses with an eye on the long term will improve workplace conditions says ACTU President Sharan Burrow. (4 April 2002).

We Need An Informed Population Debate - we need a mature, bipartisan approach from the major political parties to get our population policy right says ACTU President Sharan Burrow (27 March 2002).

Balancing Work And Family And Staying Competitive - family friendly provisions cannot just be for professional women working in large corporations or the public sector. They must be available to all working women argues ALP Deputy Leader Jennie Macklin, (8 March 2002).

Low–paid Women Deserve A Better Deal - issues of pay equity, paid maternity leave, access to numerous entitlements and flexible work arrangements and the multiple experiences of discrimination faced by many women in low-paid jobs are high on her agenda says Sex Discrimination Commissioner Pru Goward. (26 October 2001).

What the Parties Say about Paid Maternity Leave

ALP

The Australian Labor Party has committed itself to the introduction of paid maternity leave. While the party is yet to endorse a specific model, the leadership has signalled it will be a key policy priority in the lead-up to the next election. It has said it will create a partnership with businesses, unions and the community in determining an effective funding model. The ALP has emphasised that its favoured model will not adversely affect small business, a major employer of women.

Liberal Party

Paid maternity leave was not Liberal Party policy at the last federal election and some ministers have been openly hostile to the idea. Yet the growing campaign for paid maternity leave has clearly put the Government under pressure and its public position now is that the issue is “under consideration”. They have indicated that New Zealand’s recent introduction of a 12-week taxpayer funded scheme will be closely examined.

Democrats

The Australian Democrats propose that the Government consider replacing the existing Maternity Allowance with a 14-week government payment at the minimum wage rate. This payment can be increased by employer contributions, locally negotiated. The Australian Democrats have launched a national petition calling on the Federal Government to introduce paid maternity leave.

Australian Greens

The Australian Greens support the introduction of paid maternity leave. At the last election their policy argued for giving the provision of maternity and paternity leave equal status in order to encourage the sharing of the parenting roles and equality of gender in the workplace.

Reports

Valuing Parenthood Options for Paid Maternity Leave - Interim Paper by Sex Discrimination Unit, Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission

Links

Australia’s Sex Discrimination Commissioner Paid Maternity Leave Page

ILO Maternity Protection Campaign Site

Women’s Electoral Lobby’s Paid Maternity Leave Campaign Page