Government Paid Parental Leave Scheme

 

 

·        Latest news

·        The Government's PPL Scheme

·        Not a leave provision

·        Defence conditions

·        Payment of Parental Leave Pay

·        Individual decision for each family

·        Discussions with supervisor or Commanding Officer

·        Claims for Parental Leave Pay

·        Information you will need to provide if you claim Parental Leave Pay

·        Answering Question 81 on the claim form

·        Health guidance about pregnancy for ADF members

·        Review other benefits

·        Further information

 

 

Latest news

 

This notice updates previous information about the Government's PPL scheme as follows:

 

1.         From 1 July 2011, in some circumstances, the Government's Parental Leave Pay may be paid through the Defence pay system; and

2.         Guidance on the information to provide on the claim form submitted to the Family Assistance Office (FAO).

 

This notice also highlights health guidance about pregnancy for ADF members.

 

 

 

The Government's PPL Scheme

 

The Government's PPL scheme provides up to 18 weeks of Parental Leave Pay at the National Minimum Wage to eligible working parents who are the primary carer of children born or adopted from 1 January 2011.

 

Personnel wishing to claim PPL scheme payments must do so via the FAO. Information about eligibility, including the work and income tests, and the residency requirements can be found on the Family Assistance Office website at (www.familyassist.gov.au).

 

The eligible parent must be absent from work to receive Parental Leave Pay. This may be on paid or unpaid leave—or a break in training for Reservists. Parental Leave Pay must be taken in one continuous 18 week period within the 52 week period from the date of birth or adoption of the child.

 

If a parent chooses to return to duty before the end of their 18 week PPL scheme period, their Parental Leave Pay will stop.

 

 

 

Not a leave provision

 

Despite its title the scheme does not provide leave, but provides a payment to complement other types of leave—paid or unpaid— including maternity, adoption, parental, annual and long service leave. Before lodging a claim through the FAO you should plan your intended absence and discuss leave intentions with your supervisor.

 

 

 

Defence conditions

 

Parental Leave Pay is separate from Defence's parental and maternity leave provisions as contained in the Pay and Conditions Manual (PACMAN) for ADF members and the Defence Enterprise Collective Agreement (DECA) and the Defence Workplace Relations Manual (DWRM) for Defence APS employees. Receipt of Parental Leave Pay does not affect access to any of the Defence provisions.

 

 

 

Payment of Parental Leave Pay

 

Where the FAO has approved a claim for Parental Leave Pay for a child born or adopted from 1 July 2011, an employer may be requested to make the Parental Leave Payment on behalf of the FAO as part of the eligible claimants' pay. The FAO will provide Parental Leave Pay to an eligible parent who does not receive the payment from their employer. 

 

 

 

Individual decision for each family

 

Eligible working parents will be able to choose whether to claim Parental Leave Pay or Baby Bonus, depending on which is the best financial decision for their family.

 

The PPL scheme Comparison Estimator:

 

·        http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/individuals/ppl_working_parents_estimator.htm

 

Asks the eligible parent questions about their circumstances and provides a comparison between receiving Parental Leave Pay and Baby Bonus tailored to the specific circumstances of each family. 

 

Parental Leave Pay is taxable for all recipients, including Reservists, with tax being deducted at the individual’s marginal tax rate at the time of payment.  

 

It is the responsibility of the employee or member to make their own personal financial decision regarding Parental Leave Pay.  This could include seeking any independent legal and financial advice and applying for sufficient leave.

 

 

 

Discussions with supervisor or Commanding Officer

 

Regardless of the decision whether or not to claim Parental Leave Pay, personnel are reminded to discuss their intended leave and work arrangements with their supervisor at the earliest opportunity.  This allows the member or employee and their supervisor to develop a clear understanding of the plan and assists in the planning of workloads to support the intended absence, working arrangements (such as part-time) and return to work. It is recognised that leave plans sometimes change and may need to be renegotiated both prior to and during periods of leave.

 

It is essential that regular contact is maintained between a member or employee and their supervisor during any extended period of leave, including maternity, parental or adoption leave. In particular, changes in the workplace should be communicated by the supervisor to any absent member or employee as soon as practical.

 

 

 

Claims for Parental Leave Pay

 

Claims for Parental Leave Pay can be made up to three months before the expected date of birth or adoption of the child.

 

Parental Leave Pay and Baby Bonus cannot be claimed for the same child.  In the case of multiple births (for example twins or triplets), you may be eligible to receive Parental Leave Pay for one child and Baby Bonus for the other child/children.

 

 

 

Information you will need to provide if you claim Parental Leave Pay

 

To assess your claim for Parental Leave Pay, the FAO requires:

 

·        information to determine if you are eligible for the PPL scheme

·        whether you are employed by, or are an ADF member of, the Department of Defence

·        Defence ABN number: 68-706-814-312

·        your PMKeyS employee ID

 

To assist with administration of payments, Defence require that you add a prefix to your employee ID as follows:

 

If you are a...

Add this prefix ...

So your ID looks like...

DMO APS employee

DMO

DMO1234567

Non-DMO APS employee

APS

APS1234567

ADF: Regular or CFTS

ADF

ADF1234567

Reservist

RES

RES1234567

 

 

 

Answering Question 81 on the claim form

 

When claiming Parental Leave Pay, ADF personnel who choose the ‘Defence Force Personnel’ category of employment at question 81 will be skipped past the questions that let Defence provide their Parental Leave Pay.

 

ADF personnel (including Reservists) who would like to have their Parental Leave Pay provided by Defence will need to take the following steps:

 

·        at question 81 which asks ‘please indicate your most recent or your current type of employment’ select the ‘Other’ category, and

·        write down ‘Defence Force Personnel’ in the space provided

 

 

 

Health guidance about pregnancy for ADF members

 

Health guidance about pregnancy is provided to members and Commanding Officers in Health Directive No. 235, Management of pregnant members in the Australian Defence Force.   In accordance with that Directive, a member must report to the Defence Health Service when she believes she is pregnant; Command is to be informed once the pregnancy has been confirmed; and the member must provide evidence to the CDF within six weeks of the end of the pregnancy (regardless of the outcome). This information is used to ensure that the member is employed safely within OHS policies and procedures relevant to her employment environment and to approve the member's access to entitlements and conditions of service, including relevant support services.

 

 

 

Review other benefits

Members who have a new child join their household are encouraged to review other benefits they may be able to receive from Defence.  A change in the number of their dependants may trigger changes to their eligibility for those benefits, such as housing.

 

 

 

Further information

 

You can claim or seek information about Parental Leave Pay from the Family Assistance Office:

 

 

 

Last updated: 23 April 2012