✍️ 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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Mia Mankelow signed 2026-09-12 18:55:20 +1000
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Caitlin Fowler signed 2026-09-12 18:55:14 +1000
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Finn Cooper signed 2026-09-12 18:52:02 +1000
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Amber Paterson signed 2026-09-12 18:49:40 +1000
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Karen Wynter signed 2026-09-12 18:45:50 +1000We absolutely must allow families the opportunity for fathers to spend quality time with their babies.
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Amy signed 2026-09-12 17:56:57 +1000
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Wai Joon Joon Len followed this page 2026-09-12 17:19:46 +1000
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Kristen signed 2026-09-12 16:28:36 +1000
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Carly Lennan signed 2026-09-12 16:26:04 +1000
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Vanessa Trimcevski signed 2026-09-12 15:51:54 +1000
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Chelsea Watkins signed 2026-09-12 14:43:30 +1000
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Sarah Mackenzie Dodds signed 2026-09-12 14:09:45 +1000
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Lara Banks signed 2026-09-12 13:49:06 +1000
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Michaela Maxwell signed 2026-09-12 13:37:17 +1000
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Ashleigh Cabot signed 2026-09-12 13:18:13 +1000
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Olivia Rutter signed 2026-09-12 13:07:56 +1000
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David Grinszpan signed 2026-09-12 12:58:39 +1000
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Morgan Dougall signed 2026-09-12 11:38:36 +1000
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Regina Chu signed 2026-09-12 11:23:26 +1000
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Kim Tukian signed 2026-09-12 11:19:48 +1000Children do better with more time with their primary carers (if those carers are capable and want to care for their kids) choosing to go back to work purely for financial necessity disadvantages our future generations.
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Amal Mueller signed 2026-09-12 10:50:28 +1000
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Lauren Foulds signed 2026-09-12 10:40:22 +1000
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Fotini Psarommatis signed 2026-09-12 10:39:04 +1000
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Harley-Rose Budgen signed 2026-09-12 10:21:43 +1000
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Rebecca Giles signed 2026-09-12 10:17:43 +1000
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Belynda Smith signed 2026-09-12 09:53:35 +1000
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Marie Phillips signed 2026-09-12 09:52:46 +1000This is an amazing initiative. For too long we have not valued the importance of parenting for the long term benefit of children & families, but also the onflow into our whole society. Giving children and parents a strong start can’t be underestimated. I am a grandma now and am so thankful that I was able to give my children a secure start in life by being home and present for them. At the time, there was good government support which really helped. This is not so easy for families now.
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Laura Towey signed 2026-09-12 08:27:32 +1000Two children, no family locally, I had to go back to work within 3 months with my first (as my husband’s trade qualifications weren’t recognised in Australia without sitting a series of infrequently scheduled assessments which cost money). In those days there was no paid parental leave available. I had my son during the day and worked at night. For my second child I salary banked from my employer and had 14 months off, my husband got two weeks unpaid so resigned to care for our two children when I went back to work. Our caring decisions have been made for financial reasons, we compromised on much to give them a parent at home for the first few years of their lives, we don’t regret those decisions as there were few options, but we hope the future generations are systemically better supported with good choices for a variety of families and circumstances.
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Emily Lynch signed 2026-09-12 07:31:31 +1000
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Stephen lake signed 2026-09-11 23:13:57 +1000