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OECD Review of Family Friendly Policies: The Reconciliation of Work and Family Life Australia’s Background Report Prepared by the Australian Department of Family and Community Services and Department of Employment and Workplace Relations with assistance from the Work and Family Life Consortium August 2002 AUSTRALIA’S BACKGROUND REPORT ON FAMILY FRIENDLY POLICIES © Commonwealth of Australia 2002 ISBN 0642770298 This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the Commonwealth, available from the Department of Finance and Administration. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to the Manager, Copyright Services, Info Access, GPO Box 1920, Canberra ACT 2601 or by e-mail [email protected]. Early in 2001, Australia agreed to participate in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) three country thematic review of “Family Friendly Policies: The Reconciliation of Work and Family Life”. The Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services (FaCS) funded participation in this review and collaborated with the Commonwealth Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR). Participation in the review included the preparation of this Australian Background Report (or Country Note). It provides a point-in-time overview of key Commonwealth policies and programs that support reconciliation of work and family life. The Work and Family Life Consortium was commissioned to assist FaCS and DEWR with the preparation of this Background Report. Most of the data presented in this report is current for August 2001. As part of the review, Australia also hosted a visit by an OECD Study Team from 13 – 23 August 2001. The team met with a wide range of individuals and organisations including members of parliament, federal and state government departments, employer and industry representative groups, peak interest bodies, trade unions, best practice employers, service providers and academics. The Commonwealth wishes to acknowledge all who have been involved in this review: the members of the Steering Committee, the contributors to the report and those who assisted in arranging the Study Team’s visits and meetings in the Australian Capital Territory, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia. The Australian Background Report is available on the internet at the following sites: Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services: www.facs.gov.au Commonwealth Department of Employment and Workplace Relations: www.workplace.gov.au OECD: www.oecd.org For further information contact the Commonwealth Department of Family and Community Services on 1300 653 227. People with a hearing or speech impairment can contact the Department on its telephone typewriter (TTY) on 1800 260 402. ii AUSTRALIA’S BACKGROUND REPORT ON FAMILY FRIENDLY POLICIES Contents 1. Introduction and Overview .............................................................................. 1 Chapter 2: The Australian Context ............................................................................................ 2 Chapter 3: Families and Work .................................................................................................. 2 Chapter 4: Family Policy Settings .............................................................................................. 3 Chapter 5: Support for Families in the Workplace...................................................................... 4 Chapter 6: Work and Family Workplace Practices ...................................................................... 4 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 5 2. The Australian Context .................................................................................... 7 2.1 Basic Demographic Context .............................................................................................. 7 2.2 The Family Context ...........................................................................................................7 2.3 Changes in the Labour Market and the Nature of Work ................................................... 10 3. Families and Work ......................................................................................... 16 3.1 Joblessness and Families ................................................................................................. 16 3.2 ‘Spillover’ from Work to Family........................................................................................ 21 3.3 Patterns of Time Use ....................................................................................................... 21 3.4 Emerging Issues Shaping Policy Development .................................................................. 24 4. Family Policy Settings .................................................................................... 26 4.1 Family Assistance and In-work Benefits ........................................................................... 27 4.2 Child Care ...................................................................................................................... 30 4.3 Support for Returning to Work ........................................................................................ 33 4.4 Family Support ...............................................................................................................34 4.5 Community Support........................................................................................................ 35 4.6 Child Support ................................................................................................................. 35 4.7 Indigenous Australians.................................................................................................... 35 4.8 Summary ........................................................................................................................ 37 5. Support for Families in the Workplace ............................................................ 38 5.1 Workplace Relations—the role of Governments .............................................................. 38 5.2 Employer, Trade Union and Non-government Organisations ............................................. 39 5.3 Work and Family Measures in Workplace Relations ‘Instruments’ ..................................... 40 5.4 Summary ........................................................................................................................ 44 6. Work and Family Workplace Practices ............................................................ 46 6.1 Leave provisions .............................................................................................................46 6.2 Flexible Working Arrangements ....................................................................................... 47 6.3 Family Care Facilities at Work .......................................................................................... 49 6.4 Trends Amongst Leading 0rganisations in Australia ......................................................... 49 6.5 Summary ........................................................................................................................ 50 iii AUSTRALIA’S BACKGROUND REPORT ON FAMILY FRIENDLY POLICIES 7. Appendices ................................................................................................... 51 Appendix A: Work and Family Life Consortium Membership and Steering Committee Membership .................................................................................... 51 Appendix B: Federal Government Payments to Families ......................................................... 52 Appendix C: Government Agencies with Responsibilities for Work and Family Issues .............. 60 Appendix D: Anti-discrimination Legislation .......................................................................... 61 Appendix E: Government Work and Family Public Awareness Activities .................................. 62 Appendix F: Work and Family Provisions in Certified Agreements ......................................... 68 8. Glossary........................................................................................................ 71 Endnotes ............................................................................................................. 73 References ........................................................................................................... 76 Figures Figure 1: Part-time Employment as a Proportion of Total Employment, 1980 to 2000 ........... 11 Figure 2: Labour Force Participation Rates of Women and Men at Different Ages .................. 18 Figure 3: Age-specific Labour Force Participation Rates of Australian Women According to Cohort Experience ............................................................................ 19 Tables Table 1: Per Cent of Children Living with Both Natural Parents by Age of Child ..................... 9 Table 2: Proportion of Part-time Employees Receiving Standard Employment Benefits in Main Job, August 2000 ................................................................................................. 12 Table 3: Average Weekly Hours for Full-Time Employees, by Gender, 1982-2001 ................. 13 Table 4: Number (‘000) of Children Aged Under 15 by Labour Force Status of Parent(s),