Paid parental leave: put it in the 2009 Budget!

Campaign & Video Competition

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

Recently the Productivity Commission handed down a draft report recommending a scheme of 18 weeks' government-funded paid parental leave, paid at federal minimum wage.  The PM welcomed the draft Report, but gave no firm commitment about when a paid parental leave scheme will be introduced. The Finance Minister has since expressed doubts that paid parental leave will be funded in 2009's budget due to the current economic crisis.

Tell the PM that we've waited long enough for a paid parental leave scheme in Australia. Tell him we need the Government to fund a paid parental leave scheme in the 2009 budget!

HOW DO WE DO IT?

We're asking you to send the PM your message by video. All video messages will go directly to Kevin Rudd and key ministers and MPs - so we need to get as many people making videos as possible! You don't need to be a professional - you can use the video function on your mobile phone or digital camera...

WHAT'S THE COMPETITION?

All video clips will also go into a competition (judged by Unions NSW). Besides sending the PM a message loud and clear about paid parental leave, the winner will receive two tickets to the Unions NSW Annual Executive Dinner, held at the Watersedge Restaurant in the Rocks, Sydney in December, and a night for two at the 4-star Sebel Pier One Hotel. There is also a competition to see which union can send the most video messages to the PM. Make your union proud!

WE HAVEN'T GOT MUCH TIME!

Priorities for the 2009 Budget are being decided now - so there's really not much time to deliver our message about paid parental leave. You've got just over three weeks to talk to your workmates, family and friends and make your video clip by 30th November 2008, in time to be sent to the PM for the last sitting week of parliament for 2008. If you can send them in before 30th November, even better!

WHAT ARE WE SAYING TO THE PM?
- Paid parental leave: put it in the 2009 Budget!
- Paid parental leave will take the financial stress off families and help to stimulate the economy
-  Commit to a staged plan to get us to 6 months paid parental leave at full income replacement by 2013.

WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT?
It's about getting the best health outcomes for babies and their mums Its about work/life balance and gender equality: this is the kind of Australia we want to live in!

Anyone can take part in the campaign!
But to enter the competition, YOU must:

• Be a union member
• Not be a full-time paid union official
• Provide your name, address, workplace, union membership and contact details
• Be a resident of NSW

And YOUR VIDEO CLIP/MESSAGE must:

• Be no longer than 60 seconds
• Include at least 3 union members (families of union members also count!)
• Show/Mention your union/Rights@Work group somehow (name or logo - even if it's just sticker or t-shirt)
• Include the words:
  - 'Paid parental leave: put it in the 2009 Budget!'
  - Address this message to the Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, through spoken word, music, song, text or any visual means
  - Be a positive and respectful message (think something that could be shown to school children!)
  - Be a suitable file size for viewing on the web
  - Be Uploaded to the competition site by 30th November 2008.

Guidelines: The aim is to talk to people in your workplace or Rights@Work group and ask them to help you tell the Prime Minister that Australia needs a paid parental leave scheme in 2009. We're looking for a broad representation of age groups, gender, race, occupation and language, as well as creativity in the way you get your message across. When you talk to other people in your workplace or community about paid parental leave, ask them if they're a member of their union. Ask them to join the union and get involved in the campaign. Over the years, unions have campaigned to win annual leave, superannuation, sick leave and all the other entitlements Australian workers enjoy - now it's time for us to make history and get a universal paid parental leave scheme in Australia in 2009!
Remember, the sooner you upload your video, the sooner we can send a message to the PM.

TO REGISTER for the campaign and receive all the information you'll need about how to make the clip, upload the file, and give us your details, send an email to pplcomp@unionsnsw.org.au with the subject heading 'Paid Parental Leave video competition entry'.

In the body of the email tell us your name, contact details, workplace, your union and how you heard about the competition.