The Compassionate Friends Australia continues to advocate for improved workplace protections for bereaved parents through our submission, “Bridging the Child Bereavement Gap: A Strategic
Framework for National Employment Standards Reform.”
In a significant step forward, representatives from TCF across Australia recently participated in a Parliamentary Public Hearing before the House of Representatives Standing Committee on
Employment, Workplace Relations, Skills and Training.
Eight TCF members from around Australia joined the hearing via Zoom, sharing their lived experience and answering questions from Committee members about the realities of returning to work after the death of a child.
TCF South Australia was proud to be represented at the hearing, with Secretary Vicki Shaw contributing evidence relating to two key areas of the submission:
• The “Carer’s Penalty” – where parents caring for a child with a long-term or terminal illness often exhaust all available leave before their child dies, leaving them with little or no leave available during bereavement.
• Parental Bereavement Leave – the proposal for a government-funded bereavement leave scheme to provide families with financial security and protected time following the death
of a child.
The Committee showed considerable interest in the real-life experiences provided by bereaved parents, with member case studies playing a crucial role in illustrating the gaps that currently
exist within Australia’s workplace laws.
Key Recommendations
The submission calls for reforms including:
• Increasing compassionate leave following the death of a child from 2 days to 10 days.
• Addressing the Carer’s Penalty experienced by families caring for seriously ill children.
• Protected leave for coronial and investigative processes.
• The right to temporary workplace reassignment where duties may be traumatically triggering.
• Improved research into workplace responses to bereavement.
• A government-funded 12-week Parental Bereavement Leave scheme.
• Nationally consistent workplace standards and trauma-informed workplace practices.
Thank You
We extend our sincere thanks to all members who contributed personal workplace experiences and case studies. Your courage in sharing your stories helped bring the realities of child
bereavement into the national conversation and ensured the voices of bereaved families were heard directly by Parliament.
While the process is ongoing, this hearing represents an important milestone in our advocacy efforts. We remain hopeful that these reforms will lead to fairer, more compassionate
workplace protections for bereaved parents across Australia.
We will continue to keep members informed as the inquiry progresses and the Committee prepares its recommendations.
“Grief does not diminish as a child grows older, and neither should the support available to those left behind.” – TCF Australia Submission, 2026.
