As a full-time working parent of three school-aged children, I’m feeling the pressure — and I know I’m not alone.

Right now, in Australia, working parents get just 4 weeks of annual leave per year, while our children have over 12 weeks of school holidays. Most workplaces require 2 of those leave weeks to be taken over the Christmas shutdown, leaving parents with only 2 weeks to cover more than 10 weeks of school breaks. That’s a huge gap.

The financial burden of vacation care, holiday programs, or simply finding someone to look after your kids while you work is enormous — and so is the mental load. With the rising cost of living, most families rely on both parents working full-time, and the system just hasn’t kept up.

The current annual leave framework was introduced in 1974. It doesn’t reflect the reality of modern family life, where both parents are working and struggling to balance their jobs and their children's needs.

We’re calling on the Federal Government and Senator the Hon Murray Watt, Minister for Employment and Industrial Relations, to review and update the national annual leave entitlement for working parents. Specifically, we propose:

➡️ Increase annual leave from 4 to 6 weeks per year for full-time working parents.
➡️ Provide government support or subsidies to employers for the additional 2 weeks.
➡️ Help families spend more time together, reduce financial stress, and support healthier work-life balance.

This small policy change could make a huge difference in the lives of thousands of Australian families.

Let’s bring our leave entitlements into the 21st century — for the sake of our kids, our wellbeing, and our future.

Sign now to show your support.