If you’ve ever doubted the power of the female vote just take a look at the paid parental leave policy Tony Abbott wheeled out on International Women’s Day: 6 months at full pay… now we’re talking! While the plan has plenty of critics, I’m not one of them.  I reckon a system paid for by business, not individuals, is a good thing because:

1. Businesses in Australia don’t pay that much tax – 30% tax is much lower than what most of us are paying
2. This is a simple way to deliver big benefits – I’ve seen first hand the millions of dollars spent every year in big business on employee engagement programs to explain how much employers care.  But actions speak louder than words and 6 months paid leave would really show how important working parents are to business.
3. The payback of retaining women – particularly senior women – in organisations is real.  During the first six months its extremely difficult for women not to be the sole carer and six months of paid leave will help during this period and encourage them back to the workforce thereafter.
4. As a society we can do so much more to support working families.  I’ve been to Denmark and spoken with people there about the benefits of their social systems that encourage parents to spend more time with their young children.  A shift in this direction would be a good thing for Australia.

So that’s my view… and what is yours?  We have 5 simple questions we’d love you to answer on this poll – click here to complete the poll or post your comments here on the blog.