As many parents know, miscarriage and premature birth can be heartbreaking events that require time to physically heal and emotionally process without having to worry about financial or work-related pressures.
Last week the NSW Government took a major step to provide public sector employees with paid special miscarriage and pre-term birth leave, which will come into force on the 1st July 2021.
The new provisions will be available to eligible full-time and part-time, ongoing, and temporary NSW Government employees where an employee or their spouse’s pregnancy ceases by way of miscarriage up to 20 weeks’ gestation, and for pre-term births.
NSW Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said, “Providing public sector employees with paid leave to cover the early stages of pregnancy expands on existing leave entitlements and cements the NSW Government as an employer of choice, with these provisions providing a more generous benefit than is available to public sector employees in many other jurisdictions.”
Minister for Women Bronnie Taylor explained the provisions for employees who have pre-term births, saying, “This leave for mothers who give birth to a pre-term baby, and their partners, will be available from the date of the early birth, up to when the birth normally would have been expected.
“It will be provided in addition to the paid parental leave that is available to employees whose baby is born after 37 weeks, ensuring families with pre-term babies have the time and resources they need for the best possible start to life.”
