On 15. February we launched our report 'Making Australia the best place in the world to be a parent'. We’re excited to place the spotlight firmly on parenting with research and economic modelling that explores the following question: "What would making Australia the best place in the world to be a parent of young children look like and what would the long term economic and social benefits be?”
The report was launched by Zali Steggall OAM, and the results presented by Equity Economics lead economist Angela Jackson and The Parenthood's Executive Director Georgie Dent. It was a virtual event live-streamed from Canberra. The results of our report were shared with moms and dads, industry experts, politicians and journalists from all over the country and the facts presented tell us that compared to global peers, Australian parents - and children - are missing out on the support they need in the early years when the pressure and the stakes are highest.
We recommend significant investment and ask for:
■ Universal health and wellbeing support for parents and children through pregnancy and the early years;
■ One year of paid parental leave to be equally shared between both parents;
■ Free and high-quality early childhood education and care for all families; and
■ Flexible and supportive workplaces with universal access to paid carers’ leave for sick children.
It was great to see so many people at our launch event who are as dedicated as we are to make Australia the best place in the world to be a parent! We also started a petition calling on Scott Morrison to do better for Aussie parents and children. You can sign it here!
The Parenthood's launch event in the media:
Paying dads to take six months’ leave ‘could help close the gender pay gap’ - Sydney Morning Herald
Policies – not biology – to blame for the chasm between the lives of mums and dads in Australia - Women's Agenda
Parental leave and free childcare worth $353bn to Australian economy, report says - Guardian
Extending paid parental leave for fathers may help close the gender pay gap - ABC Radio
Interview with Georgie Dent on Project TV - Channel 10
You can also watch the interview on Project TV's Twitter channel
The Parenthood proposes first-of-its-kind Australian National Parenting Strategy - The Sector
