A new mum has lashed the federal government after her bid for paid parental leave was rejected despite her having paid taxes for almost a decade.
Nandini Hutchens applied for paid parental leave after her daughter was born in October and discovered on Christmas Eve her application had been rejected.
Ms Hutchens was told she was not eligible for the payout, which is $22,750 before tax over 24 weeks, because she had not held permanent residency for two years.
'I was quite shocked because we didn't expect it to be rejected,' she told Daily Mail.
The Adelaide local moved to Australia from India eight years ago and completed a master's degree in physiotherapy. She has worked full-time in South Australia as a physiotherapist since 2019.
Ms Hutchens said the Covid pandemic delayed her skilled visa application which meant she wasn't granted permanent residency until December 2024.
She argued that she was not a 'newly-arrived' resident subject to a waiting period when applying for paid parental leave.
'I'm not newly-arrived and I have been paying my taxes just like every other Australian citizen,' she said.
Nandini Hutchens is pictured with her husband Corey and their newborn daughter
Ms Hutchens (pictured) has been paying taxes since she began full-time work in Australia in 2019 and says she's entitled to paid parental leave
'My taxes are helping people get every other benefit so why am I excluded?
'I have done my part, I have chipped in and have contributed to the economy for eight years now.
'I just want them to realise this is unfair. I'm not expecting any money now. They just need to look at some cases individually.'
Her husband Corey is eligible to apply for paid parental leave but as he runs his father's business, he cannot take time off.
Ms Hutchens has started a petition calling on the government to assess applicants on a case-by-case basis when applying the newly-arrived residents' waiting period.
'If I had just got the residency and came here a month ago, then I understand why I wouldn't be eligible,' she said. 'But if I have been here for so long, and I have contributed to the economy for over two years.
'Skilled migrants who live, work, and pay taxes in Australia should not be denied paid parental leave simply because of when they received permanent residency.'
Ms Hutchens is eligible for six weeks of paid parental leave through her employer, but said the amount would not make a significant difference.
Ms Hutchens says she will have to go back to work earlier than expected after giving birth
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Hutchens said as a result of her rejected application, she would need to return to work earlier than she planned in order to support her family.
A spokesperson for the Department of Social Services said: 'The newly arrived resident's waiting period applies to most Australian government payments, including the paid parental leave (PPL) scheme'.
'This reflects the long-standing principle that migrants are expected to support themselves when they are first granted permanent residency in Australia,' the spokesperson said.
When the Daily Mail contacted the Department of Social Services for comment on Ms Hutchens's case, it said it could not comment on individual circumstances.