My wife has thoroughly explained the maternity leave benefits for public hospital employees. This became an issue because, like many HR issues, if paperwork isn't filed properly it can cause problems! Note - this is only government employees and larger "good" employers. Smaller businesses cannot provide this level of generosity, not only because of the expense, but because they don't have the personnel resources to make it work.
After working for at least 40 weeks, women are entitled to 14 weeks maternity leave at full pay. They can extend their time off for up to 2 years, however, they will not be paid beyond 14 weeks unless they have accumulated other time (vacation time or long service leave). After up to two years off work, they can return to their old position. If their position is no longer available, they must be offered a position with similar pay. Until the child starts school they can work part time, and then once the child starts school, they can return to the number of hours they worked before the maternity leave. If they decided to work full time before the child goes to school, they give up the option to reduce hours and reclaim them later under the maternity benefit.
Men can also take maternity leave. (she wasn't sure of duration - 2 weeks?)
While this seems extremely generous, it also has a side benefit to people looking for work and the employer. People can be hired on a temporary basis while someone is out on maternity leave. Most temporary hires become permanent employees, unless there are problems. This allows the employer to get rid of a new employee with no hassle, since they were originally hired as "temporary."
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