Branch Vice President Emma Foreman with our parental leave booklet. Photograph by Chris Hopkins
Congratulations on the addition to your family!
No doubt you’re excited to be taking parental leave – which includes maternity leave, paternity leave, adoption leave and foster and kinship care.
It’s important you know your rights and responsibilities as set out in your enterprise bargaining agreement, registration requirements, anti-discrimination laws, the Fair Work Act and occupational work health and safety laws.
Parental leave booklet
With significant changes to the Commonwealth Government’s paid parental leave scheme and the Nurses and Midwives (Victorian Public Sector) (Single Interest Employers) Enterprise Agreement 2024–2028, ANMF (Vic Branch) has updated the parental leave and returning to work guide [PDF] for members.
Our guide assists in simplifying parental leave information and provides key timelines so you can meet your obligations and understand entitlements available to you and your family.
Some changes to public sector parental leave include:
- reduction of the qualification period from six months to zero for full-time and part-time employees – inclusive of your probationary period
- an automatic right to extend parental leave by up to another 52 weeks
- an ability to take annual leave and long service leave in conjunction with parental leave
- retention of an ‘annual leave buffer’ prior to commencing parental leave to ensure a safeguard of available leave when you’re returning
AHPRA registration fee relief
On 7 July 2025, AHPRA announced a 30 per cent registration fee relief for nurses and midwives on parental leave or certain other forms of leave (e.g. disability or status as a carer) for at least six continuous months. You’ll need to apply during your registration renewal period but only after the six-month period ends. If you meet the eligibility criteria, the rebate will be automatically applied on the payment page.
For details, please see AHPRA’s Fee relief for parental and other types of leave.
ANMF parental leave membership
ANMF offers a reduced-rate membership to members on Primary Carer Leave (PCL) at $122.80 per annum. Benefits include:
- access to our online CPD modules to help you maintain your registration requirements
- the right to vote in ANMF elections
- professional indemnity insurance for up to 10 (the maximum) keeping in touch days you may utilise
- industrial support for issues leading up to your return to work, e.g. seeking flexible working arrangements
- assistance to extend or reduce your period of leave
- industrial advice and assistance regarding any organisational change affecting you
You can update your membership category via the member portal. Select Parental Leave under the My Details menu option.
