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Paid Parental Leave amendments passed

Article published on: 18-03-2024

The Bill amending the Paid Parental Leave (PPL) scheme has passed both Houses and awaits Royal Assent. The changes implement the second tranche of changes to the PPL scheme, including the increase in maximum leave to 26 weeks from 1 July 2026.

In addition, the ‘reserved period’ for couple applicants increases one week each year from 1 July 2025 until reaching four weeks from 1 July 2026. The ‘reserved period’ is the minimum reserved for each parent of a couple. One member of a couple cannot take the full PPL period, as the four weeks reserved for each parent is on a ‘use it or lose it’ basis. This is to encourage greater sharing of care responsibilities. Both parents can take their leave concurrently for up to four weeks from 1 July 2025.

Summary of changes

From	PPL (weeks)	Reserved period (weeks)
Current	20	2
1 July 2024	22	2
1 July 2025	24	3
1 July 2026	26	4

Advice tips

You can help educate your clients about PPL. Details about the scheme can be found on Services Australia.
The Government also proposes to pay super guarantee on PPL from 1 July 2025, however, this measure is not yet law.

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