Parents were enthusiastic about the extension of the current scheme to 26 weeks by 2026. Nevertheless, they felt that 26 weeks paid leave is not long enough for parents to care for young children in the way they preferred. Fathers want greater opportunity to provide care and support to their partners, and to do care themselves. However, families expect that even with the extended 26 weeks they will allocate most of the unreserved paid leave time to mothers.

Parents agreed that 52 weeks of paid parental leave would be ideal. A full year of paid parental leave was seen as optimum and fits with dominant family preferences about when parents feel comfortable to put young children into formal early childhood education and care. Parents want to be the sole carers of their infants and organise their work to support this. Parents did not like the idea of children going into early childhood education and care when they are very young (under 1 year old), as this does not allow for hands-on parenting in the early months and years of a child’s life. Most mothers in the study had patched together various forms of paid parental leave and other forms of paid and unpaid leave to make up 12 months of leave with their most recent baby. This was easier for mothers with employer provided parental leave schemes and those in more secure jobs.

I think a year off for everyone would be fantastic, for all kids to not have to go to childcare under a year … I think to be able to make it for a whole year would be the dream. (Nora, single mother, middle income)

A year would be great. Two, even better. The sky’s the limit if you’re asking what I would [want], but I also know that that just would never happen. But a year, I think, would be so beneficial to so many families and children. Mums who are going through the whole process of learning about this new role and who they are and looking after a little person, it’s full on, so to throw in having to go back to work, and taking a child to childcare, and dropping them of and leaving them. (Amelia, high income, CALD)

The dream is like 12 months. (Grace, same sex couple, female)

If I had my way I’d be like, “Pay me for a year.” …and in the scheme of your child’s life, it’s a very important time. (Emily, high income)

A year will be amazing. … So if we lived in a fantasy world, yeah, a year would be amazing. (Isabella, middle income, CALD)