✍️ Add your name to give every baby the first year they deserve.
A baby's first year lays the foundation for the rest of their life.
On 1 July, Australia expanded paid parental leave to 26 weeks, with four of those weeks reserved for fathers and partners. That was a genuine win, and it was hard fought.
Four weeks is a start. It isn't a finish.
The scheme is paid at minimum wage — around half what an average full-time worker earns. For most families it doesn't stretch to a year, and it doesn't stretch to two parents.
So instead of choosing how they want to share their baby's first year, parents are forced to make financial decisions. One parent stays home. The other goes back to work. Patterns that last for years are set before families ever had a real choice.
To be clear about something: this is not leave taken from mums. It's leave added for dads. Every week a father is home in that first year is a week a mother isn't doing it alone.
Dads are main characters in family life, not cameos. It's time our policy settings said so.
It doesn't have to be this way.
The Parenthood is campaigning for 12 months of paid parental leave at a replacement wage, with dedicated leave for both parents, so every family can afford to share their baby's first year.
On Monday 7 September, dads, kids and supporters took that case to Parliament House.
Here For It. From Day One.
Read the new ‘More Time’ With Dad report
People who have signed the petition
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Rebecca Hewson signed 2026-09-15 11:36:12 +1000
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Emily Heywood-Smith signed 2026-09-15 11:21:15 +1000Great job parenthood!
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Amelia Mahon signed 2026-09-15 11:12:49 +1000
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Georgia Connor signed 2026-09-15 11:08:51 +1000
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Karla Gurney signed 2026-09-15 10:58:47 +1000Cost of living meant my husband could not access Centrelink PPL because our wage drop for us both would be too significant for us to afford
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Sandra Caruana signed 2026-09-15 10:49:24 +1000
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Rachael McDonald signed 2026-09-15 10:34:24 +1000
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Nicola Ferguson signed 2026-09-15 10:32:38 +1000
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Gemma Hay signed 2026-09-15 09:59:15 +1000Two doting dads!!
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Emma Bayliss signed 2026-09-15 09:49:12 +1000
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Elizabeth Murphy signed 2026-09-15 09:37:09 +1000
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Sophia Carreiro signed 2026-09-15 09:22:08 +1000
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Sarah Abi signed 2026-09-15 08:42:07 +1000
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Allison Procter signed 2026-09-15 08:39:24 +1000
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Steph Sullivan signed 2026-09-15 08:38:38 +1000
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Jake Muller signed 2026-09-15 08:08:09 +1000
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Tayla Knox signed 2026-09-15 08:04:02 +1000
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Alice Abbott signed 2026-09-15 07:57:48 +1000
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Sam signed 2026-09-15 07:42:27 +1000
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Rhiannon Macdonald signed 2026-09-15 07:39:57 +1000
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Hannah Miller signed 2026-09-15 07:13:43 +1000Doter!!
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Nicola Black signed 2026-09-15 07:07:21 +1000
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Alex Peters signed 2026-09-15 07:03:54 +1000
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Tori G signed 2026-09-15 06:38:38 +1000
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Alice English signed 2026-09-15 06:11:16 +1000
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Lisa Campbell signed 2026-09-15 06:07:03 +1000
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Nicola O signed 2026-09-15 06:06:08 +1000
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Michelle Nuich signed 2026-09-15 04:01:32 +1000A proud Doter, Keep up the great work Matt and Ash!
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Josie Rosewall signed 2026-09-15 02:20:17 +10003 months of our newborn and I had 8 weeks of my husband home and it didn’t feel like enough! 4 weeks is essential!
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Amy Hofmeier signed 2026-09-15 01:37:27 +1000