Dads want to balance work, home

State Edition

NEWS; Pg. 10

LAURA ANDERSON, CANBERRA

WORKING women are not the only ones looking for work and family balance, with figures showing a rise in paternity leave for dads.

An Australian Bureau of Statistics report - Employee Earnings, Benefits and Trade Union
Membership - says the percentage of parents claiming either paid maternity or paternity leave has risen in the past five years.

The report says 43.7 per cent of women and 34.5 per cent of men in the workforce claimed the parental entitlement in 2006.

This was a significant rise from just 30.3 per cent of women and 18.8 per cent of men in 2002.

ABS figures show the rate has been climbing each year since 2002, with parents working in the public administration, education, financial services or electricity industries and those on higher salaries or working full time most likely to receive parental leave.

Employment Minister Joe Hockey said the rates were at their highest level since ABS data was first collected in 2002.

''The Government's workplace relations reforms are giving parents choice and flexibility to balance work and family responsibilities,'' he said.

Labor's employment spokeswoman Julia Gillard said there was no evidence to link WorkChoices with maternity or paternity leave.

She said the public administration and education sectors were dominated by collective agreements which gave workers access to paid or maternity leave.

''The ABS data shows that certified agreements are delivering flexibility in the workplace, including maternity and paternity leave entitlements,'' she said.

''The minister should release the number of AWAs that have provided an entitlement to maternity and paternity leave if he wants to claim the increase has anything to do with Work Choices.''

PAGE 21: Our downhill slide

WHAT FIGURES SHOW

Year Maternity leave Paternity leave

2002 30.3 18.8

2003 35.9 26

2004 33.8 20.2

2005 41 31.5

2006 43.7 34.5

Source: ABS, percentage paid leave

April 3, 2007