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31 March 2006

Westpac builds new employee childcare centre in Brisbane CBD

Westpac Banking Corporation today announced that a new Westpac childcare centre will be built in the Brisbane CBD to be opened in July 2006.

The new 75 place ABC Developmental Learning Centre is being purpose built and is Westpac's first childcare facility in Queensland. The centre will be located not far from Westpac's Queen Street headquarters at Part Plaza, Mincom Central, 192 Ann Street.

It provides state of the art childcare facilities for Westpac employees and any vacant places will be made available to the community.

"We conducted a bank-wide survey which identified that access to quality childcare is a big issue for many Westpac employees with families, and as result we have made opening childcare centres a priority," said Niki Kesoglou, Westpac's Head of Diversity.

"We appreciate that many of our employees have obligations, responsibilities and interests outside the workplace. One of the ways we strive to be an employer of choice is by providing access to opportunities which assist parents manage the competing demands on them."

Westpac has a private ruling from the ATO which enables the Bank to provide employees using the new centre with a tax effective option to pay childcare fees. Called the Westpac Childcare Benefit and introduced in 1998, it is available to all employees using our existing child care facilities.

The new childcare centre compliments Westpac existing family friendly arrangements including:

• 12 weeks paid parental leave (or 24 weeks at half pay) for employees who are the primary care giver, forming part of up to 104 weeks parental leave;
• Flexible return to work arrangements to assist families with the transition from maternity leave back to work including the right to request part-time work (until the child reaches school age) and the option of jobsharing or telecommuting;
• Flexible use of sick leave; for instance to attend medical appointments prior to the birth (mother or father), fathers can also use up to a week of paid sick leave to care for their partner and child following the birth;
• Carers leave: to support caring responsibilities after the birth;
• Paid parental leave can be paid in advance as a lump sum, at full pay over 12 weeks or half pay over 24 weeks;
• Other leave options including 'Career break' and time out of up to 12 months.