Paid parental leave and benefits have been extended to seven weeks from today, meaning many parents will benefit with financial support from the state.
The extension applies to both mothers and fathers from July 1. The benefit is available for anyone who has a child under two years of age or who has adopted a child in the last two years.
Meanwhile, there has also been an increase in parents' leave recipients since 2020, with 51,400 parents supported in 2021 which is compared to just 16,700 in 2020. Since the start of 2022, the total number of applications awarded reached over 28,000.
