Babes are likely to be out of the budget

This week-end the Government will receive the Productivity Commission’s recommendations on Maternity Leave. It appears that after all the carry-on about this idea it’s not going to even get a look-in as part of the May Budget.

It seems the Nation is not in an economic position to implement it – well the Government had heaps of time to think about accommodating this one before giving away $12 billion of the surplus to many people who don’t actually need it. Maternity Leave payments would have achieved the same outcome – women spending money in retail outlets in preparation for the birth of their baby. It’s not rocket science. And in anycase wasn’t the Government funding for the recommendations of the Commission going to be mostly funded by a revamp of the current Baby Bonus package?  Read the rest…

Contributed by Lynette Palmen .   Lynette Palmen AM is the Founder and Managing Director or Women's Network Australia. She started WNA 20 years ago to offer support, inspiration and services that would inspire women to succeed in their career and business endeavours. WNA is now the Nation's premier networking organisation for business and professional women. T: 1800 052 476.

Lynette Palmen has written 44 article(s) for us.

Visit http://womensnetwork.com.au

Paid Leave – Competitive

Just as we’re finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel in regards to taxpayer-funded Paid Parental Leave let’s hope the issue doesn’t end up in the too hard basket, conveniently moved to the side as yet another casualty of the current economic crisis.

The final round of the public hearings of the Productivity Commission’s report are taking place over the next week with the finalised report due to the Government in February 2009.

One would hope that common sense will prevail. The Federal Government is currently talking up an education revolution, but it doesn’t seem much point does it to be educating the population only to lose a significant group of talented women when the reach child bearing age. You can’t fix one problem without the other, it takes education and retention to maintain a competitive labour market.

Lynette Palmen AM, Founder and Managing Director, Women’s Network Australia speaks to for and about women’s issues. www.womensnetwork.com.au

Lessons from the Lion Cage

My daughter Maddison (11) astounds me with what she picks up on. Whilst in Melbourne recently we visited the Melbourne Zoo.  We had a great time,  it’s an amazing experience.

But at one point we were standing beside a couple and their two children, a boy maybe 5 and his older sister around 6. Maddison was in her usual form, she had her eyes on the lions feeding, with her ears flapping listening to what was going on around her. The child doesn’t miss a beat.  This particular couple had caught her attention. She had been watching them intently for some time. Apparently the mother had placed her daughter up on the fence to get a better view of the lions feeding. The husband had then quickly grabbed the little girl from the fence and protectively placed her on his hip,  giving his wife a look of complete disapproval.

This had intrigued Maddison. I might point out there was double fencing around the lion cage and the child was in no danger at all. Maddison starts digging me in the ribs wanting me to take note of the dynamics going on within this family of four. Unbelieveably, two mintues later the husband lifts his younger son up and places him in exactly the same position on the fence from where he had just removed his daughter. Read the rest…