5.3 Personal Leave

1. Entitlement

   1. Casual Employees

      A casual employee is entitled to two (2) days of unpaid carer’s leave for each occasion when a member of the employee’s immediate family, or a member of the employee’s household, requires care or support because of:

      • a personal illness, or personal injury, affecting the employee; or

      • an unexpected emergency affecting the member.

   2. Continuing and Fixed-Term Employees

      Continuing and fixed-term employees are granted twenty (20) working days of paid personal leave per annum on commencement and for each completed year of paid service. Fifteen (15) days of this leave will be cumulative based on leave utilised in the previous year.

2. An employee is entitled to utilise personal leave for purposes including but not limited to:

   1. the employee is not fit for work because of a personal illness, or personal injury, including chronic illness affecting them;

   2. attending a medical appointment or undergoing diagnostic testing in relation to a health issue;

   3. the employee is not fit for work because they have been diagnosed by a medical practitioner with an infectious disease that is notifiable to the relevant state public health authorities, or because they have side effects from a vaccination that has been endorsed by the World Health Organisation;

   4. to provide care or support to a member of the employee’s immediate family, or a member of the employee’s household, who requires care or support because of a personal illness, or personal injury, or an unexpected emergency affecting the immediate family member or household member;

   5. short term care of an elder;

   6. the employee has to attend to a reproductive health matter;

   7. the employee is going through gender affirmation;

   8. significant personal or community emergencies;

   9. observance of religious/culturally significant days; or

   10. moving house.

3. An employee who becomes a grandparent is entitled to take up to ten (10) days personal leave for the purpose of caring for their child or grandchild during the six (6) month period commencing from the date of birth or adoption of the grandchild. For the avoidance of doubt, an employee who is a grandparent is entitled to use accrued personal leave for

   the purpose of taking care of a grandchild who requires care because of an illness, injury, or unexpected emergency affecting that grandchild (see sub-clause 5.3 (b).

4. Subject to sub-clause 5.3(h) below, within a 12-month period:

   1. an additional pool of twelve (12) days of paid leave will be available in respect of the circumstances listed at (i) to (vi) in sub-clause 5.3(b) and other health related matters; and

   2. a further twelve (12) days paid leave if the employee is going through gender affirmation in order to attend to matters incidental to that process.

      This leave does not accrue from year to year if untaken.

5. In circumstances where an employee has exhausted all other forms of paid personal leave and can demonstrate genuine hardship, an application may be made to the Chief People Officer for additional paid leave.

Sick Leave

6. An employee who is absent on a period of sick leave for more than three (3) consecutive working days is required to provide such evidence as per sub-clause 5.3(h). An employee may be required to provide proof of illness for absences of three (3) or less consecutive working days in circumstances where the supervisor has a reasonable concern about the employee’s use of sick leave including where:

   1. the employee has a pattern of recurring absences on sick leave; and/or

   2. there is evidence that the employee is not using sick leave for its proper purpose and notification has been provided. Such notification will be reviewed after six (6) months.

7. An employee must not return to work if they have a medical certificate declaring that they are unfit for work during that period. A clearance certificate should be obtained if recovery is earlier than expected.

Notice and Evidence Requirements for Personal Leave

8. An employee is required to provide the University notice of taking personal leave as soon as practicable, with such evidence as would satisfy a reasonable person that the leave is being used for the intended personal leave purpose (for example, a medical certificate for themselves or their family member requiring care, or a statutory declaration). In the absence of such proof, the period of absence from duty may be without pay or, at the request of the employee, may be deducted from their annual leave balance.

9. Casual employees are subject to the same evidentiary requirements specified in respect of their entitlement to unpaid personal leave.