Its About Time: Women, men, work and family

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Its About Time Women, men, work and family
Human Rights Equal Opportunity Commission
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About HREOC

• HREOC is a national independent statutory agency
  which
• Carries out human rights education and public
  awareness campaigns
• Conducts Public Inquiries
• Advises Government on laws and policy to promote
  human rights
• Investigates unlawful discrimination complaints

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
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Striking the Balance Women, men, work and family

• Discussion Paper 2005

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
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• I have a PhD in Molecular Biology as well as
  being a registered pharmacist. I also have two
  young children I am employed part-time (as a
  pharmacist) rather than full time as a medical
  researcher, which would be far more fulfilling
  

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
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• I have NO TIME at all for myself, for my
  partner, for my parents, for my relatives, for my
  friends I deprive my children from delights of
  spontaneity. Their childhood is becoming
  burdened with no time to celebrate successes,
  no time to unwind, which takes away sense of
  achievement and enjoyment in life

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
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• I dont have the chance to talk to dad much at
  home because he is on the telephone for work

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
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• My wife and I decided when we were having kids
  12 years ago that I would keep working for
  economic reasons and that my wife would stay at
  home and that is now a self fulfilling prophecy
  it has placed enormous stress on our
  relationships

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
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• My partner and I have a set of 13 month old
  twins. One of the twins has a disability There
  is no possible way we could put our children in
  child care. My partner couldnt possibly earn
  enough to pay for it Thus I am stuck at work
  full time and she is stuck at home full time. We
  have no choice

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
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HREOCs proposals

• Allow for changes in caring needs
  responsibilities across the life cycle
• Support a shared work valued care approach
• Address equality between men women gives real
  choice to families

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
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HREOCs Recommendations

• Its About Time contains 45 recommendations to
  ensure Australians are able to make choices
  around paid work family responsibilities that
  are secure, stable and fair

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
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Key recommendation New federal legislation

• HREOC recommends the introduction of new federal
  legislation a Family Responsibilities and
  Carers Rights Act to provide protection from
  discrimination to workers with family and carer
  responsibilities
• A right to request flexible work arrangements

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
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UK Right to Request scheme
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UK scheme - making managing requests
DTI provide user friendly help for employers and
employees to assist them to make and manage
requests. Easy to use forms are available on
line A) For employees to use when making a
request to work B) For employers to use when
accepting an employees request to work
flexiblyC) For employers to use when turning
down an employees request to work flexibly D)
For employees to use when appealing against an
employers decisionE) For employers to use
when responding to an employees appeal F) For
employers to use when they need more time to
consider an application andG) For employees to
use when withdrawing their request to work
flexibly
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UK scheme - considering requests

• Once the employer and the employee have discussed
  the request, the employer must notify the
  employee of the decision in writing, within 14
  days following the date of the meeting.
• An application may only be refused where the
  employer has a clear business reason for doing so
  these are listed in the guidance (regulation).
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• Business grounds for refusing a request
• Burden of additional costs.
• Detrimental effect on ability to meet customer
  demand.
• Inability to reorganise work among existing
  staff.
• Inability to recruit additional staff.
• Detrimental impact on quality.
• Detrimental impact on performance.
• Insufficiency of work during the periods the
  employee proposes to work.
• Planned structural changes.
• If a request is accepted, the notification must
• Include a description of the new working pattern

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Key recommendation Limit long hours working

• That the Australian Government establish a
  national working hours framework which promotes
  flexibility and encourages workplaces to limit
  long hours working
• Recommendation 7

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
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Maternity Protection

• This International Labour Organization (ILO)
  Convention states that countries should provide
  at least 14 weeks of paid maternity leave
• A recent study of 166 ILO member countries found
  Australia is 1 of only 5 countries without paid
  maternity leave

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
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Key recommendation National paid maternity
leave scheme

• That the Australian Government as a matter of
  priority introduce a national, government funded
  scheme of paid maternity leave of 14 weeks at the
  level of the federal minimum wage
• Recommendation 13

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
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Key recommendation Increase personal/carers
leave

• That the Personal/Carers Leave Standard be
  increased from 10 days to 20 days per annum with
  10 days to be non-accumulative
• Recommendation 15a

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
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Key recommendation Unpaid carers leave

• That the Australian Government consider
  introducing a new 12 month unpaid Carers Leave
  Standard for employees who need to care for a
  seriously or terminally ill dependent.
• This new standard should be job protected and
  available to employees who have 12 months
  continuous service
• Recommendation 15b

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
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Key recommendation Extend Superannuation
Co-contribution Scheme

• That the Government extend the Superannuation
  Co-contribution Scheme to individuals who are not
  in the paid workforce because of caring
  responsibilities
• Recommendation 31

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
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Key recommendation Monitor wages employment
conditions

• That the Office of the Employment Advocate
  monitor and publish annually gender
  differentiated wage and employment conditions in
  AWAs
• That the Australian Fair Pay Commission monitor
  and research the Federal Minimum Wage and its
  impact on women workers

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
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Key recommendation Quality senior part time
jobs

• That the Australian Government establish a grants
  program to assist businesses to increase the
  number of part time senior and quality jobs
• Recommendation 9

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission
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For further information

• Phone [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• Complaints infoline 1300 656 419
• Email for feedback on Final Paper
  its.about.time_at_humanrights.gov.au
• Email for copies of Final Paper
• publications_at_humanrights.gov.au
• Or visit our website www.humanrights.gov.au/
• sex_discrimination/its_about_time/

Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission