Paid parental leave and the 'ideal worker': a step towards the 'worker-carer' in Australian labour law

The Paid Parental Leave Act 2010 (Cth) was enacted in June 2010 and provides up to 18 weeks of payment to parents of a newborn or newly adopted child. After decades of campaigning, the implementation of a national scheme of paid parental leave has been hailed as a step towards rectifying gendered workplace inequality. This article considers the normative impacts of the Act on the place of the 'ideal worker' in Australian labour law. It argues that paid parental leave presents a challenge to the legal and cultural construction of an 'ideal worker'; an unencumbered (male) citizen available for long hours without home and care responsibilities. It concludes that the Act represents an important step towards greater recognition of the 'worker-carer' in Australian labour law, but that further support remains necessary to encourage equal sharing of unpaid care work and paid work.