Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes that:

(i)

8 March was International Women’s Day (IWD),

(ii)

this global day of action was established to celebrate the economic, political and social achievements of women past, present and future, and

(iii)

IWD is now an official holiday in China, Armenia, Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Vietnam;

(b)

recognises that:

(i)

for more than 30 years, Australian women have been campaigning for the introduction of paid parental leave, and

(ii)

Australia and the United States of America are now the only two Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries yet to formally legislate on a paid parental leave scheme; and

(c)

calls on the Rudd Government, as part of their election promises and their commitment to Australian families, to support the introduction of a paid parental leave scheme in the upcoming 2009 Budget.

Question agreed to.