Source : Perth Now news
High-profile dads are calling for expanded parental leave so more Australians can build meaningful fatherly connections.
The red and purple Wiggles, Simon Pryce and Lachlan Gillespie, were among dads attending an event at Parliament House on Monday to encourage more men to take time off to rock-a-bye their newborns.
Australian men remain worried about their job security if they take parental leave, a Movember Institute report has found.
A bipartisan Dads Caucus has been launched to hear the concerns of fathers across the nation.
Co-chaired by Labor’s special envoy for men’s health Dan Repacholi and Liberal MP Aaron Violi, the group will bring together dads from across the political spectrum to share stories of fatherhood, both personally and from their electorates.
Labor frontbencher Ged Kearney backed the push for more active dads, reflecting upon her relationship with her father.
“He was a good dad. He did what he thought dads had to do: put food on the table and just provide for us,” she said.
“I had a great childhood but we never saw him. He worked long hours, didn’t really come home – not even on weekends.
“Later in life, when he had his grandchildren around him, bouncing them on his knee, he was really sad and I remember him saying to my mum, ‘I missed out, didn’t I Nance, on the kids?’ And I felt sad for him.”
Ms Kearney has a granddaughter who is just a week old, and her son-in-law is taking full advantage of Labor’s parental leave changes.
Since July 1, new parents are eligible for 26 weeks of combined paid leave, with mums and dads receiving a minimum wage of about $1000 a week while they are off work.
Advocacy group The Parenthood wants this gradually extended to 52 weeks of parental leave at a replacement wage.
