Testimonials
Madison Williams-Hoffman
EDITH COWAN UNIVERSITY
My name is Madison and my daughter was born on the 15th May 2023. This happened to be part-way through my PhD, which had meant my partner and I were thousands of kilometres away from family. The birth of my daughter ended in an emergency c-section under general anaesthetic, meaning I did not meet her when she was first born - a moment I had dreamed about. I share this information because like most mothers, I did not expect for this to happen. I share it because physically, emotionally and mentally I needed rest and uninterrupted space to bond with my daughter after our experience. This space is normally provided by paid parental leave.
I started my PhD because there are knowledge gaps around nuclear weapon testing legacies here in Australia and the impact this might have on the environment, and knew I could contribute to finding an answer. At the same time, the love I feel for my daughter is all-consuming and she is a light in my life I didn’t realise I needed. Finding a balance between ‘having it all’, career and family, is already difficult for most parents. To then attempt to do this both as an academic-in-training and without adequate leave in the first few months of my child’s life was not only difficult, it was and still is heart-breaking. I want to be a great mum and a great researcher, but PhD parents like me need the support that so many others already have. I give so much of myself to my research because I know it will honestly make the world a better place for future generations. I strongly believe that it is then only fair that in return parents like me are entitled to the same amount of time with our newborn children as the rest of the workers in this country are.
Meg Madden
UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE
I have had two children during the course of my PhD candidature. When I commenced my studies at the University of Adelaide in 2019, I did not anticipate having children. I had left a senior role in the public sector to return to research, and transition to academia and tertiary education policy.
Life is always surprising though, and in November of 2020 my partner and I welcomed our first daughter. I was able to access a period of 60 days of maternity leave payment through my Commonwealth-funded scholarship. My part-time role in strategic policy within the University should have qualified me for some 26 weeks of maternity leave, but my contract was not extended due to Covid-related funding issues, and I was only able to access a few weeks of this payment. This one-day-per-week role was the maximum I was able to work under the conditions of my scholarship (and required approval from my supervisor). This had meant that during my pregnancy, I was working six days per week to manage my research and work commitments. My employment in this role was both immediately financially essential, and - importantly - qualified me for the government’s paid parental leave scheme.
My second daughter was born in September of 2022. I was no longer eligible to access any maternity leave payment from the University through my scholarship, as the 60 days are allocated per candidature, rather than per child. I was also no longer eligible for the government’s paid parental leave scheme, as the Commonwealth-funded scholarship does not meet the ‘work test’. Only having access to part-time childcare, and a commitment to full-time research, had meant that I had not been able to take up paid employment during this intervening time.
It was frustrating and deeply disappointing to be caught between two policies, at an enormously vulnerable, emotional and expensive time. My Commonwealth-funded scholarship prevented me from working as I was being paid to research, and yet I did not meet the ‘work test’ of the paid parental leave policy. And I had never worked harder in my life. Failure to recognise either of my roles as a researcher or a parent left me feeling heartbroken.