Today, women make up almost half of Australia’s paid workforce, compared to around 36% in 1980.*
This shift reflects decades of progress: expanded employment opportunities, greater access to paid parental leave, access to more flexible working arrangements and an evolving economy that better supports women.
We’ve also seen meaningful strides towards gender equality with the introduction of domestic violence leave and expansion of government-paid parental leave which now also includes superannuation contributions.
At the same time workplace protections have strengthened, particularly around discrimination, violence, harassment, and the rights of breastfeeding women.
And there’s more good news!
From 1 July 2026, families will have access to even more support, with the amount of government funded Parental Leave Pay (PLP) increasing from 24 to 26 weeks for children born or adopted from that date.
And the number of reserved days for your partner will increase from 15 days to 20 days.
Know the difference between Parental Leave Pay and leave you get from work
One of the biggest missed opportunities for families is not fully understanding how PLP works alongside employer-paid leave.
PLP is a government payment to help you take time off when you have a baby or adopt a child. The current payment for PLP is $948.10 per 5 day week. It sits separately from any leave your employer offers, which means in many cases, you can access both.
The key rule: you can’t work on the same day you receive PLP.
But within the rule lies opportunity. Because PLP can be taken before, after, or in between any paid or unpaid employer-funded leave, families can structure their time off in a way that stretches both their leave and their income further.
How to maximise your leave and your pay
This is where families can get savvy. Because PLP doesn’t have to be taken in one continuous block, some parents are carefully planning when they take it – even mapping it out in spreadsheets.
For example:
- Taking employer-paid leave on public holidays or higher-paid work days, and using PLP on others
- Spreading PLP across part-time return to work arrangements (e.g. working 2-3 days, using PLP on others)
- Staggering leave between parents to extend the total time at least one parent is at home
It’s important to note that there might be other ways to support you in those early months of sleep adjustment, post-natal appointments, and firsts: bath, smile, laugh, teeth and words.
For example, if you want to maximise the amount of bonding time you and your partner have with your baby, you can now (as of July 2025) opt to take 4 weeks PLP together, which is an increase from the previous 2 week limit.
The birth mother can approve sharing PLP days with the partner, or another parent and there’s a minimum number of days reserved for partners.
| Child’s date of birth or adoption is from | Your family can get up to |
|---|---|
| 1 July 2023 | 100 days, or 20 weeks based on a 5 day work week |
| 1 July 2024 | 110 days, or 22 weeks based on a 5 day work week |
| 1 July 2025 | 120 days, or 24 weeks based on a 5 day work week |
| 1 July 2026 | 130 days, or 26 weeks based on a 5 day work week |
| Child’s date of birth or adoption is from | Days reserved for your partner |
|---|---|
| 1 July 2023 | 10 days |
| 1 July 2024 | 10 days |
| 1 July 2025 | 15 days |
| 1 July 2026 | 20 days |
Source: How much Parental Leave Pay you can get, Services Australia 2025.
The income test has also increased to $180,007 per annum for an individual, and the family limit is now $373,094 per annum.
To qualify for PLP, you must also meet a work test and residency rules.
When and how to claim
You can submit a claim up to 3 months before the baby is due so you can get organised early and map out when you would like to take your PLP versus any leave your employer is giving you.
If you’re claiming after bub’s here, at least one parent needs to claim within 52 weeks of the birth or adoption, while the other has 2 years to claim. Just remember—you need to use all your PLP days before your child turns 2.
The easiest way to claim is online. You’ll need a Centrelink online account linked to myGov. If you don’t have a myGov account or a Centrelink online account, you’ll need to create them.
To share this payment, both parents need to claim, and qualify, so keep that in mind. It’s important to know that dads and partners can only get Parental Leave Pay if the birth mother meets the work test.
Before you can get PLP, you’ll need to register, or apply to register, your baby’s birth with your state or territory birth registry. You must tell us by updating your claim when you’ve done this.
You should also talk to your employer at least 10 weeks before your child’s expected date of birth or adoption to negotiate your leave and tell them if you want to claim PLP.
For more information on how to claim, head to Services Australia’s website.
*Australian Bureau of Statistics Labour Force seasonally adjusted data, released 19/02/2026.
Originally published by Yahoo Finance on 8 March 2026.