Queensland employers will no longer be allowed to use the terms ‘maternity leave’ or ‘she’ and will instead use the gender-neutral terms ‘extended maternity leave’ and ‘pregnant employee’. forced to adopt.
Criticism has continued for months after the Palaszczuk government introduced several amendments to state legislation. Industrial Relations Act 2016.
The new provisions aim to promote gender pay parity, increase protection for workers subject to sexual harassment and improve eligibility under Queensland employment standards, including parental and adoption leave. increase.
In a controversial move, the new changes abandon terms such as “maternity leave” and “maternity leave” to avoid implicit gender distinctions in childcare. Intention to take maternity leave” to “Intention to take maternity leave by pregnant employees”.
Queensland’s opposition labor relations minister, Jarrod Brisey, called the move “disgraceful”.
“I ask the minister, what is wrong with the word ‘maternity’? Why can’t mothers be proud of being mothers and giving birth? ‘ he told Congress at his Oct. 28 debate.
“The reality is men can’t have children. It’s harmful to girls.”
Meanwhile, Surfers Paradise member John Paul Langbrook said: October 27 The Parašchuk regime had disenfranchised health care workers when the system was in crisis.
Mr Langbroek argued that many rural and rural areas of Queensland would still not be provided with ‘childbirth-related services’, regardless of the bill.
Maternity Choice Australia also spoke out against the move, saying in a government filing that it was “extremely upset that the mother, her and her have been removed from the bill”.
Protection against sexual harassment
Labor Relations Minister Grace Grace, on the other hand, described the new amendments as “nation-leading reforms”.
She said the change would allow the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC) to better protect victims of sexual abuse and set minimum requirements and qualifications for independent courier drivers. .
“Minimum Employment Standards are now federal standards by providing paid and unpaid parental leave with greater flexibility to include adoption, surrogacy, or transfer of parentage under a Cultural Recognition Order. I agree with you,” she said. press release October 28th.
“The bill will also strengthen maternity-related and parental leave and allow individual parents to allocate childcare responsibilities in a way that best suits their family circumstances.”
The government will also give informal workers 10 days of paid leave to escape from domestic and domestic violence.
“Collective bargaining has brought stronger wages and working conditions in exchange for flexible and productive workplaces, but wage gaps between men and women still persist,” said Grace.
“That is why we have introduced provisions into the law to ensure the promotion of gender pay parity in the bargaining process.”
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Nina Nguyen is a reporter based in Sydney. She covers Australian news with a focus on social, cultural and identity issues. She is fluent in Vietnamese. Please contact her at [email protected]