Australia's largest department store will be the first of the country's major retailers to offer paid parental leave.
Myer will introduce the leave for its work force from next month.
The company expects high use of the provision, with female employees accounting for 81 per cent of its work force.
Expectant mother Melissa Lobianco works for Myer's head office, and is one of the company's 4,000 women who could benefit from the paid leave.
"Like most new couples, we've actually gone from a double wage down to half for 12 months, so it's actually going to be a massive help," she said.
"I think it's really a lot of foresight on Myer's behalf to actually see that there's a lot of females in the workplace and that we do need that help for those 12 months you're actually off work, if you're lucky enough to actually be able to afford 12 months off work."
Myer's director of human resources, Greg Travers, says the paid leave will be offered to its permanent full-time and part-time work force from April 1.
"We're providing six weeks' paid leave, with flexible arrangements either to pay that as a lump sum up-front, at the commencement of parental leave, to pay it over a six-week period on effectively full-time rates, or if the employee so chooses, to extend the paid period of leave to up to 12 weeks at a pro rata payment rate," he said.
"Then on resumption of work we've put in place perhaps more easier standards in terms of helping people on what is a difficult transition back to work.
"Certainly we're aware of the fact that other employers provide these sorts of benefits - it's an increasingly competitive labour market, we've got a very aggressive growth portfolio going forward, we're opening new stores, we need to attract new labour as a consequence of that and to keep the people that we've already got."
Govt applauds move
Federal Minister for the Status of Women, Tanya Plibersek, says it makes good economic sense and she hopes other businesses will follow suit.
"Most employers will tell you at the moment that they're in a war for talent, that they're looking to attract and retain the best staff," she said.
"I think that family friendly provisions like paid parental leave are very attractive... particularly people who are thinking about starting a family in the next few years."
She says the Rudd Government has referred the issue of paid parental leave to the Productivity Commission, and she expects its report in February.
"We've asked to look at the costs and benefits of paid parental leave and the best way that it could be achieved," Ms Plibersek said.
Ms Lobianco says such a move would bring Australia in line internationally.
"I've been reading up on - I'm sure like a lot of new mothers are - reading up on what the other countries offer and I'm just astounded to know that some of the, dare I say, second-world or third-world countries like Bangladesh, for example, they actually offer maternity leave but Australia doesn't or the US," she said.
"So I think it's just absolutely amazing that the two wealthiest countries in the world don't actually offer that, but it's great to see that we're moving at great lengths to actually now offer this to females."
'A national shame'
The debate over paid maternity leave has been going on for decades.
Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick has described Australia's approach as a national shame.
She was appointed to the position last September and has been travelling the country on a listening tour since then. She says there is no other subject that has generated such a big response.
"I think Myer absolutely need to be congratulated for doing that because retail is a sector which is largely female-dominated and where we're not seeing much paid maternity leave," she said.
"I do see it like a lot of the schemes that I look at. They're evolutionary - so what happens is that ordinarily, it starts with a smaller period of leave and then over time that period of leave increases."
So why is Australia lagging behind so many other countries in the world?
"I think there's a concern - well how's this is going to impact on business? I do think it can be done in a way which has a nil impact to small and medium business, and that's what we've got to look at," Ms Broderick said.
"There is a lot of evidence there around work force attachment. The fact that paid maternity leave enables woman to keep attached to the work force and they're more likely then to come back into their role following the birth of their child.
"We still don't have a federally funded or nationally legislated scheme - that's what we need and we need to make sure that it's a first-class scheme. It's a scheme that works for both Australian women and also Australian men.
"Any initial period needs to be for women to recover psychologically, to recover physically from the birth of that child and most importantly, establish breast feeding. A payment of 14 weeks is what's necessary."
Source: By Australian Broadcasting Corporation
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