Family Futures

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nsuring

ork

-F

amily

alance

caring responsibilities; parents with children of school age

or younger; employees with a disability; employees aged

55 or over; and employees experiencing domestic violence

or providing support to immediate family or household

members experiencing domestic violence. The amended

provisions also make it explicit that a parent returning

to work after taking parental leave is entitled to request

to work part-time and sets out a ‘non-exhaustive list’ of

‘reasonable business grounds’ on which an employer could

refuse requests. There is still no formal appeal mechanism.

The traditional gender division of labour is proving hard

to shift in Australia and the majority of women find them-

selves primary carers – for children, the disabled and the

frail aged. It is common for Australian women to under-

take part-time or casual work as a strategy to reconcile

their work and care responsibilities. But part-time jobs do

not have the same security and predictability as full-time

employment, nor the same leave provisions. More policy

attention needs to be paid to the provision of regular and

predictable hours and job security as a basis from which

workers can seek the flexibility they need to manage their

caring responsibilities.

Gaps and challenges

There have been some important work, care and family

policy reforms in Australia since the International Year of

the Family. The long overdue introduction of a universal

paid parental leave scheme in 2011, followed only two years

later by the announcement of a more generous scheme to

be introduced in 2015, signals the high level of community

and political interest in work, care and family policy in

Australia. Recent childcare reform, and the introduction

and extension of a right to request working time flexibility

for workers with caring responsibilities, underscores the

focus that is now given to this policy area. However, more

change is needed to support workforce participation along-

side social and family relations of care.

Like most OECD countries, the Australian population is

ageing.

While attention is given to the increased participation

of women in the paid workforce, much less policy focus has

been given to mature aged workers and the needs of the frail

and elderly. Older workers are being encouraged to work for

longer in a bid to boost productivity and sustain living standards.

This requires workplaces to meet the changing health needs of a

mature-aged workforce and provide support for these workers,

who are often also carers of the frail aged. As workers and carers,

mature-aged employees may need to alter their work hours and

will require access to respite services. As most unpaid care falls

to women, developing a flexible and sustainable aged care system

is critical to women’s labour force participation during periods

of intensive care responsibility for older family members. This is

a policy gap that must be addressed.

The overriding challenge for work, care and family

policy in Australia is the development of a balanced and

rational work/care regime that meets the needs of twenty-

first century workers and their workplaces in a sustainable

and gender-equitable fashion. Work and care policy has

become highly politicized in recent years. This has focused

the attention of politicians and policymakers, but has

sometimes produced short-term populist responses that do

not reflect best practice and are inequitable or financially

unsustainable. The current shape and pace of the develop-

ment of work, care and family policy in Australia raises

important questions about public finances and the balance

of priorities – especially as Australia introduces an expen-

sive new paid parental leave scheme. Australian workers

with family responsibilities require access to a range of

services and institutional arrangements in order to recon-

cile their various work and care responsibilities over the

life course. This remains a work in progress.

Childcare workers are amongst the lowest paid in the Australian workforce. Workers are active in the campaign for higher wages

Image: UnitedVoice