At the time of the announcement of the PPL scheme in May 2009, the Government committed to undertaking an evaluation and a review of the scheme. The evaluation is aimed at informing the Government about the impacts of the scheme. It will provide evidence to form the basis of decisions that may be taken to amend any aspects of
3 the scheme. A particular focus of the evaluation is whether there are indications that it will achieve its main objectives (see above).
The evaluation is proceeding in four phases, with the fourth phase being the production of the final report:
Phase 1 (2010-2011) focused on establishing robust baseline data in all areas related to the intermediate and ultimate outcomes of the evaluation.
Phase 2 (2011-2012), the current phase, is focused on evaluating the initial operation of the PPL scheme.
Phase 3 (2012-2013) will focus on evaluating the intermediate and, where possible, ultimate outcomes of the PPL scheme.
Phase 4 (2014) will produce the Final Evaluation Report.
This report presents results from Phase 2 of the evaluation. The focus of this phase is on the operation of the PPL scheme during its first year. It details the main elements of the scheme and how it has operated in the first 12 months, assesses the scheme’s immediate outcomes, and summarises the main lessons to be learned from the design and operation of the scheme to date.
This report focuses on answering the following four research questions:
1. What are the main elements and components of the PPL scheme, their rationale and inter-relationships, focusing on the scheme’s original design? 2. How has the scheme operated on its implementation? To what extent is the
PPL scheme operating as intended, and what factors have resulted in any discrepancies between intent and actuality?
3. What have been the immediate outcomes of the PPL scheme in its early months of operation, and what factors have impacted on these outputs and outcomes?
4. On the basis of Research Questions 1-3, what have been the lessons learned about the design and operation of the PPL scheme?
These questions are answered primarily through data collected specifically for the evaluation. These data consist of:
1. A Policy Implementation study (PI). This study involved 16 in-depth interviews with FaHCSIA and Centrelink staff carried out in July and August of 2011. These interviews focused on the scheme’s development and the expectations of key policy makers about the PPL scheme. It aimed to contribute to a complete understanding of the main design features of the scheme. In addition to the interviews, data gathered in this phase included press coverage of the development and implementation of the PPL scheme and numerous data sources. This included all articles which appeared in regional and national newspapers using the topic area ‘Paid Parental Leave’ and media releases from the Government and other Members and Senators. The press coverage that was obtained covered the period from December 2010-April 2012. The collection and analysis of documents relevant to PPL was a central part of the PPL policy and management process study. Documents were used to provide an understanding of the policy design and the delivery of the PPL scheme. All available, relevant documents were obtained at the commencement of the study and further documents were obtained as they became available. Documents were obtained from a range of sources including the Productivity
4 Commission, FaHCSIA and on-line web-sites (for example, the Parliamentary website online, Hansard online, and FaHCSIA and Centrelink web-sites).
The main source used in the analysis of the design of the PPL scheme was the Productivity Commission Inquiry Report. This main source is complemented by other materials including:
o Policy statements relating to the PPL scheme including Government policy statements released in May 2009 and May 2010, Ministerial press releases, second reading speeches and Budget Papers;
o The records of Parliamentary Debates leading to the enactment of the Paid Parental Leave Act 2010 and the rejection of the amendment moved by the Opposition in November 2010;
o The records of the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee’s Inquiry into the Paid Parental Leave Bill 2010;
o The text of the Paid Parental Leave Act 2010 and Rules made pursuant to the legislation, together with related documents such as Explanatory Memorandum and the Paid Parental Leave Guide;
o Documents such as brochures, guides and the online PPL comparison estimator developed by implementing agencies to inform parents, employers and the community;
o Other information provided by government agencies such as Annual Reports, content presented on websites;
o Selected internal documents (for example, Inter-Departmental Committee (IDC) papers and PPL log of email questions);
o Expert and academic papers providing commentary on the PPL scheme;
o Externally commissioned reports on the PPL communication campaign; o Interviews with public servants who were involved in the development
of the PPL scheme; and
o Press coverage of the development and implementation of the PPL scheme.
2. A Mothers Process Evaluation Study (MoPE). This study involved a survey of a random sample of mothers who were eligible for PLP, along with an in-depth interview study of a purposive sample of mothers from the same population. The random sample survey was a telephone survey; it was used to collect information about mothers’ experiences in deciding whether to apply for PLP, applying for PLP (if they did so), and receiving PLP. It also collected background demographics and information about mothers work before a birth, their use of leave, their return to work (if it had occurred), and their partner’s employment and leave taking. The MoPE survey had a completed sample size of 901 mothers: 800 mothers who had taken or were approved to take PLP, and 101 mothers who received the BB. The survey had an 81.2 per cent response rate. In-depth interviews were also conducted with a subsample of 97 mothers and fathers. These interviews focused on groups of special interest (i.e. casual and self-employed before the birth, single mothers, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mothers, and fathers who took PLP). They provided more detailed and nuanced information about parents’ experiences with the PPL scheme than was available from the survey. All interviews were recorded and transcribed for analysis.
5 3. An Employers Implementation Phase Evaluation Study (EIPE). This study
involved a survey of a stratified random sample of employers who had provided PLP to at least one employee, along with an in-depth interview study of a purposive sample of 41 employers. The random sample survey was a telephone survey that sought information on employers’ knowledge of PPL, employers’ experiences in administering and paying PLP, and their attitudes towards the scheme, along with information about basic employer characteristics. The EIPE survey had a total completed sample size of 501 employers. The sample was stratified by employer size, and consisted of 117 small employers (2-19 employees), 164 medium employers (20-199 employees), and 220 large employers (200 or more employees). The survey had an 83.6 per cent response rate. It should be noted that most of the results in the tables in this chapter have been weighted to correct for the over- and under-sampling of employers based on organisational size. The weighting of the data means the conclusions drawn here are representative for the total population of employers registered to pay, actively paying or having paid PLP to at least one employee since 1 July 2011. The in-depth interview study sought more detailed and nuanced information about the experiences of a purposive sample of 41 employers. All interviews were recorded and transcribed for analysis.
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2 THE DESIGN OF THE PPL SCHEME
Andrew Jones and Kristen Davis