This week I became somewhat of a vigilante keyboard warrior, trawling posts about the passing of baby Priya’s bill to correct every commenter that wilfully misunderstood the bill or used it as an excuse to pick a fight about women’s rights. No, the bill will not put small business owners out of business by forcing them to offer unlimited paid leave. No, the bill won’t mean women’s employment numbers go down. And very importantly, no, the bill does not incentivise late-term terminations.
The Australian federal parliament passed baby Priya’s bill – an amendment to the Fair Work Act – to ensure employers cannot cancel paid parental leave in the event of stillbirth or because a baby dies after birth. The change brings employer paid parental leave in line with government-funded parental leave and unpaid parental leave.
