Think like an Aussie: Parental leave that is truly game-changing

We are absolutely thrilled to share our new parental leave policy, which will be game-changing not just for parents, but all of us at Aussie and beyond. It is the perfect coming together of our values "Be Good to People" and "Think Big” – setting a new standard in the telco industry and for many Australian companies.

Equitable parental leave

We want to encourage our Aussies to be active participants in their kid’s life; no matter if they are a mother, father; primary or secondary caregiver. Because, who were we to decide who spends more time with their kids?

We’re providing 26 weeks of leave for both parents, and they can choose what works for them. We're giving parents the flexibility to decide how they want to use these 26 weeks in the first year of their child's life – whether they prefer to take it all in one go; take some time first and some later; go full-time or part-time. We believe that parents should have the freedom to choose what works best for their unique situation and have peace of mind knowing they can be there for their little ones.

Super superannuation

But it doesn't stop there. We also wanted to make sure parents continue to get superannuation contributions while they're on leave, regardless of whether it’s on Aussie's paid parental leave or the Federal Government's parental scheme. Why? Research has shown that women often face setbacks in their careers because they can have the lion’s share of caregiving responsibilities, taking more paid and unpaid time off than their male counterparts. A report in 2018 by Per Capita found that Australian women retire on average with 47% less super than men. With this new policy, we wanted to help bridge that gap and ensure that parents don't have to worry about their financial future while taking time off to care for their children.

Better for all Aussies

But equitable and generous parental leave policies don’t just benefit women. Currently, it’s estimated that in Australia just 8.4% of men who are managers and 4.6% of men who aren’t take Primary carers leave. In the same study by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (WGEA), they found that in countries which had rolled out more equitable parental leave policies, fathers were able to take more time off to care for their children, and even reported higher job satisfaction because of this work-life balance.

And that gets us to an important point for those of you who are maybe a shareholder of Aussie (we know you’re reading!). Equitable and generous parental leave policies make good business sense, and don’t just take our word for it. A survey by Deloitte found that 77% of employees with access to generous parental leave benefits reported that a good parental leave policy would impact their decision to choose one employer over another. Paid parental leave also helped improve morale and boost productivity, according to an EY study of more than 1,500 companies.

The research is clear: better parental leave means a more equal division of care, better work-life balance, and stronger, happier families. And who wouldn't want that for all Aussies?