Consensus, gaps, ways forward Prue Warrilow Families Australia Board member

Why do it? Fertility Gender equity Early learning Economic growth and labour supply Reduce child poverty, enhance child development

Business case Recruitment and retention Best practice Employer of choice Human capital CSR Public good Links between employee satisfaction and engagement, and shareholder/stakeholder outcomes Holistic view – not presenteeism

Australia Striking the Balance Prosperity Contentment Still a gendered debate, mostly women using flexible work practices to manage dependent care needs

Issues and gaps Elder care Sandwich generation Support older workers towards retirement Engaging in the community Retention of corporate knowledge What is a reasonable workload? Negative spill over Health and wellbeing Lack of cohesive government approach Lack of visibility of low income families in debate on workplace flexibilities Affordable, accessible children’s services Volunteering

Ways forward Focus on cost of not doing anything – what do we lose if we don’t do it? A continuum of support through lifecycles Government Organisations Unions Individuals

Our vision for work|life effectiveness? What might this look like? Who needs to be involved? Short, medium and longer term strategies