Leave benefits
Parental leave
The Enterprise Agreement (EA) introduces provision for 5 days paid partner leave on the birth of a child, and also introduces new flexibilities for parental leave more generally.
Annual leave
The EA specifically recognised that annual leave makes an important contribution to the health and well-being of staff, and requires annual leave plans to be factored into work planning and allocation. New arrangements are also provided for the management of excess annual leave – these are detailed in clauses 134 to 136 of the EA.
Summary of leave benefits
Key leave benefits for full-time continuing and fixed term staff (pro rata for part-time staff) are as follows:
| Leave | Benefits |
|---|---|
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Annual leave and loading |
20 days per year of paid service, accruing on a pro rata basis Staff with more than 40 days accrued leave at start of EA may cash out up to 10 days provided that equivalent amount of leave is also taken and application to cash out is made within 12 months of start of EA. An annual leave loading is payable in December each year.
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Long service leave |
3 months after 10 years' paid service; plus
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Sick leave |
10 days for first year of employment and 50 days per year after first year; sick leave not used in year of accrual carries over to the following year only |
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Carer's leave |
Up to 10 days of accrued sick leave per year or 20 days in 2 years |
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Compassionate Leave |
Up to 2 days per occasion in the event of death or serious illness of a member of immediate family or household |
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Parental leave |
14 weeks paid maternity leave after 12 months service (up to 8 weeks of which may be taken by the staff member's partner if also a University employee) 22 weeks additional paid leave (or choice of equivalent benefits, including 38 weeks leave at 60% of salary) if more than 2 years' service 5 days paid partner leave at time of birth of child Scope to apply for additional of up to 52 weeks (additional to existing 52 week maximum parental leave), subject to reasonable business requirements Note that these benefits are also available in respect of adoption |
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Annual closedown |
Annual closedown over Christmas/New Year, with the exact dates to be fixed annually by the University. During the term of the EA, staff are guaranteed 3 "concessional" i.e. extra days paid leave, with balance comprising non-working days, public holidays and annual leave |
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Up to 5 days special paid leave to attend to Indigenous cultural/ceremonial obligations |
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Other leave
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Provision is also made for jury service, defence force training, emergency services, general staff career development and special leave, as well as leave without pay. |