2017-11-28
Greens to legislate for family and domestic violence leave
The Greens are stepping up pressure on the old parties to support family and domestic violence leave, introducing a bill to Parliament to legislate ten days’ leave.
Mr Bandt released the bill over the weekend as the Australia marked the annual White Ribbon Day of the campaign to prevent men's violence against women.
The Fair Work Amendment (Improving National Employment Standards) Bill 2017 will amend the National Minimum Standards in the Fair Work Act to include 10 days’ paid family and domestic violence leave. The ACTU has called for 10 days’ paid family and domestic violence leave.
“The time has come for Parliament to act,” Mr Bandt said.
“I call on Bill Shorten and the Prime Minister to get behind the bill and take a stand to support Australian workers who are facing family violence. This bill will help save lives.”
“One in three women experience family and domestic violence. Family and domestic violence is the greatest preventable contributor to death, disability and illness among women aged 15-44 years, greater than cancer or heart disease yet Australia workers have limited access to family violence leave.”
“Domestic and family violence is the principal cause of homelessness for women and their children.”
“According to the ACTU, 800,000 women in work have experienced sexual or family violence and the estimated cost of family and domestic violence to the economy is $12.6 billion per year. But the estimated cost of introducing a minimum 10 days’ paid family and domestic violence Leave in the National Employment Standards is just five cents per day per worker.”
“The time for excuses is over. It is time for the old parties to back the push for 10 days paid family and domestic violence leave.”
Approximately 1.6 million of current employees have access to paid family and domestic violence leave through enterprise bargaining or company policy. For example, Telstra introduced paid family and domestic violence leave in their 2015-18 enterprise agreement and 22 out of 32,000 employees accessed the leave in a six month period, taking an average of 2.3 days.
A link to the bill can be found here
Media Release Employment and Workplace Relations