{
  "id": 6132336,
  "title": "Australian dads demand more time to bond with newborns",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/07/australian-dads-demand-more-time-to-bond-with-newborns",
  "topic": null,
  "section": null,
  "published": "2026-09-07T09:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Discovered",
    "slug": "discovered",
    "url": "https://areanews.com.au/story/9345651/australian-dads-demand-more-time-to-bond-with-newborns"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Dads in Australia are demanding more parental leave to foster stronger connections with their newborns. Simon Pryce and Lachlan Gillespie, members of the popular children's band The Wiggles, joined other fathers at Parliament House to advocate for increased support. A recent survey by the Movember Institute revealed that many men are hesitant to take parental leave due to concerns about job security. To address these worries, a bipartisan Dads Caucus has been established, co-chaired by Labor's special envoy for men's health, Dan Repacholi, and Liberal MP Aaron Violi. The group aims to listen to fathers' experiences and work towards creating better policies.\n\nLabor frontbencher Ged Kearney echoed the importance of fathers being present in their children's lives. Reflecting on her own father, she noted that he was a dedicated father who worked long hours to provide for his family. However, he was often absent, never fully present to celebrate moments with his grandchildren. Kearney's granddaughter, who is just a week old, is benefiting from Labor's recent changes to parental leave, which now allows new parents to take up to 26 weeks of combined paid leave, with a minimum wage of around $1000 per week. Advocacy group The Parenthood is calling for this period to be extended gradually to 52 weeks at a comparable wage.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}