A member on maternity leave may be eligible for Australian Government parental leave pay.

Visit the Members and Families site to learn more about these payments.

Example: A member completes their first 12 months of qualifying service, then becomes pregnant with their first child and takes 18 weeks of paid maternity leave and other types of leave which adds up to 52 weeks of entitled leave. The member comes back to full time service for an additional five months before leaving the permanent ADF to join as a Reserve Force member. The member then completes two years of reserve service before applying for maternity leave to have their second child. The member is not entitled to the 18 weeks paid maternity leave as they have broken their full-time service and have not completed a continuous period of 12 months’ full-time service.

A member who has been granted maternity leave may also be eligible for parental leave under Part 7

Example: A member's expected date of the birth is 1 June. On 6 January the member miscarries. This is 21 weeks before the expected date of birth. This event does not meet the definition of termination. The member has no maternity leave entitlement. The member is absent for a time under fitness for duty arrangements, to recover from the miscarriage.

Example 1: A member falls pregnant while already on unpaid maternity leave. They may be granted a second period of maternity leave.

Example 2: A member falls pregnant while on leave without pay. Section 5.6.31 prevents them from having access to further maternity leave until their leave without pay has ended.

Comparison: Examples 1 and 2 have different outcomes, as unpaid maternity leave and leave without pay are different leave types.

For further information on health support refer to the Defence Health Manual Volume 2 Part 9 Chapter 1 – Supporting Defence Members in pregnancy and the postpartum period.