Budget 2024: Labor to Expand Paid Parental Leave to Encourage Australians to Have More Children

The Albanese government is seeking to encourage Australians to have bigger families through expanded investments in paid parental leave and early childhood education. In a press conference on May 10, Mr. Chalmers said that while people have the right to make their own choices, the Albanese government intends to open opportunities for Australians to have bigger families. “I was asked about birth rates in the budget. That has been on a trajectory of long‑term decline, as you know,” Mr. Chalmers said. “A predecessor of mine from a few ago, Peter Costello, talked about this a lot. A healthy birth rate is good for Australia and we want to make it easier for people to make that choice if they want to.”...