A new campaign has launched today by a handful of high-profile Australian men from the Dad’s Action Group, calling on the federal government to fund 12 weeks of paid parental leave for fathers and non-birthing parents.
The Dads Action Plan for the Early Years is a national strategy that hopes to support fathers in taking an equal share of parenting, addressing the fundamental role of fathers in parenting and the challenges they may face, such as harmful stereotyping and inadequate specific male-parent support.
Among many recommendations, it is recommending 12 weeks of federally-funded paid parental leave for fathers and non-birthing parents, doubling the current leave reserved for non-birthing parents to four weeks and introduce concurrent leave.
The group behind the initiative, including comedian and podcaster Hamish Blake, Bluey voice actor David McCormack, Australia’s Local Hero of 2023 Amar Singh, and Red Wiggle Simon Pryce — hope to change the landscape for working fathers.
Blake, who hosts the popular podcast, How Other Dads Dad, said the current generation of fathers yearn to be more engaged with their children, but do not always know where and how to get support.
“Something like this helps make that more possible for more dads, and I reckon that’s a massive, long-term good thing for everyone involved,” he told AAP.
“Becoming a dad can be a pretty overwhelming time for a lot of guys, and in my experience this generation of dads really want to be more engaged, but perhaps don’t always know where and how to get support. Something like this helps make that more possible for more dads, and I reckon that’s a massive long term Good Thing for everyone involved.”
Amar Singh with his family
Blake, who was crowned Australian Father of the Year in 2023, has made it his mission on his podcast to encourage men to talk openly about parenting, fatherhood and “how to be a good dad” — interviewing other celebrity dads on his show, including Australian Test Cricket Captain, singer songwriter Ben Lee, comedian Dave Hughes, and former Socceroo captain, Craig Foster.
Amar Singh, founder of Turbans 4 Australia, told APP, “It’s good for family values to have both parents there and with the flexibility to take care of the kids, be around them more, nourish them and create that bond.”
The Dads Action Plan for the Early Years has laid out a five-point action plan, making a series of recommendations, including more affordable and accessible childhood education, better education and support to fathers to be active and caring parents, and a significant boost in male early educators.
Several organisations across the country have already pledged their allegiance to the national strategy, including Playgroup Victoria, The Parenthood and Dads Group, an organisation that promotes positive parenting for men.
Jay Weatherill, director of the Minderoo Foundation, and the director of the campaign said the plan is “as much about changing social norms as it is about money as well.”
In a statement released this morning, Weatherill explained that “For too long access to childcare and kindergarten has been seen mostly as a women’s issue, but this does not reflect the reality of modern families.”
“Dads know that early childhood education is good for their kids – they want them to have the opportunities it provides for their social, cognitive and emotional development, and the lifelong benefits that come with that,” he said.
“On top of that, modern dads want to take a more active and engaged role in parenting but government and employer policies and services have not caught up with that change.”
“So I am really pleased to see these fellow dads coming forward today to call on politicians to do everything they can to make sure children are set up to thrive.”
Georgie Dent, CEO of The Parenthood, believes that encouraging men to be active fathers is not just beneficial for dads, but crucial for children.
“It’s a step closer to achieving true equality between women and men,” she said. “There are clear benefits from supporting and encouraging men to be engaged, active fathers and take on responsibility for the care and well-being of their young children.”
“It’s good for dads, really important for children, great for families and helps bring women and men closer to true equality.”
“Dads in Australia take less than 20 per cent of the parental leave dads take globally. This isn’t because Dads here aren’t interested in taking the leave. It’s because our policy settings don’t encourage it. An equitable paid parental leave policy is a game-changer for mums, dads, and children. It gives parents the ability to truly share the care.”
“This perpetuates the expectation that mothers will assume primary responsibility for caregiving. We need a shift in societal norms, where fathers are encouraged and supported to be active caregivers.”
Currently in Australia each year, roughly 180,000 families receive government-funded paid parental leave.