Ask Shaye
Parental leave – other parent
What are the leave provisions available to public hospital workers who may not be the partner with the primary caring responsibilities?
A public sector employee who has completed not less than 40 weeks’ continuous service at the time of the birth, adoption or surrogacy, and who will not have primary responsibility for the care of their child, is entitled to two weeks’ paid parental leave at the time of the birth, adoption or surrogacy, and up to 12 weeks’ additional paid parental leave within the first 12 months – provided that the employee assumes primary responsibility for the care of the child during that 12-week period.
You may request to use this entitlement outside a single continuous period, but such leave cannot be taken beyond the first 12 months following the date of birth, adoption, or surrogacy. These provisions are set out in Premier’s Memorandum M2021-12 Paid Parental Leave and commenced from 1 July 2021.