A mother’s fight for justice has sparked a campaign to protect parents who experience the tragic loss of an infant.
After her baby Priya passed away just six weeks after birth, the petition starter, a mother from Australia, found her approved maternity leave was retroactively cancelled, replaced with only one month of personal leave—barely enough to cover the six weeks her baby was alive. While her husband, who is a public servant under the NSW industrial system, retained his full paternity leave, Priya’s mother was forced back to work prematurely.
Devastated by this unfair treatment, she is now calling on the Federal Government to make it illegal for employers to cancel maternity leave in the event of an infant’s death or stillbirth, ensuring grieving parents are given the time they need to mourn.
“Don’t cancel maternity leave for women who experience infant death, or still birth.”
In her heartfelt petition, shared on Change.org, Priya’s mother shared her painful experience: “My daughter Priya was born prematurely at 24 weeks and 6 days. She tragically passed away six weeks later due to a condition unrelated to her prematurity.
“Just a week after her death, I informed my employer of her passing, only to have my maternity leave cancelled and replaced with just one month of personal leave—less than the six weeks my baby was alive.”
Fair Work Australia and Services Australia websites confirm that, legally, employers can cancel paid maternity leave in these circumstances, although unpaid leave remains protected.
Priya’s mother is determined to change the law, arguing that humane workplace laws, such as those providing paid paternity leave for her husband, should be extended to the federal industrial relations system.
“We are calling on the Federal Australian government to make it illegal for employers to cancel paid maternity leave which had been approved, in the event of infant death or still birth.”
She believes the current laws leave grieving parents without the necessary support and calls for action from the Australian Government to ensure no parent is denied the time they need to grieve the loss of a child.
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