Leave entitlements and options

Employees are entitled to 6 weeks recreation leave per year.

Paid recreation leave accrues progressively according to the employee’s ordinary hours of work.

A part-time employee accrues recreation leave on a pro rata basis.

Seven day shift workers accrue additional recreation leave for working Sundays during the year.

An employee must apply to take accrued recreation leave.

Recreation leave at half pay

Where permitted under the relevant enterprise agreement, an employee can apply to take recreation leave at half pay to double the length of time off.

This applies under the following conditions:

• your agency has the right to refuse your request it is for more than one week
• it can't be applied to any leave that you may have purchased.
• must be for at least one week.

Find out more, read the commissioner’s information sheet - recreation leave at half pay PDF (44.2 KB).

Recreation leave loading

If permitted under the relevant enterprise agreement, an employee is entitled to recreation leave loading of 17.5% of their recreation leave entitlement, up to a maximum payment set by the Commissioner for Public Employment.

To receive the leave loading an employee must take at least one week of recreation leave.

Employees are entitled to 3 weeks paid personal leave per year.

Personal leave can be used as follows:

• when an employee is not fit for work because of a personal illness or personal injury affecting the employee (sick leave)
• to provide care or support to a member of the employee’s immediate family or household who requires such care or support because of:
  • a personal illness or personal injury affecting the member or
  • an unexpected emergency affecting the member.

You will need to tell your supervisor as soon as possible. You may need to provide evidence such as a medical certificate as required by the relevant enterprise agreement or commissioner's determination.

Find out more, read the relevant enterprise agreement.

Employees may take up to 5 days compassionate leave if an immediate member of the employees family or household:

• dies, or
• contracts or develops a life-threatening illness or injury.

Employees may take up to 3 days compassionate leave if the following applies:

• death of a member of the employees extended family, or
• if they or their partner has a miscarriage.

Find out more, read the relevant enterprise agreement.

Employees are entitled to paid long service leave of 3 calendar months* after completing 10 years of continuous service.

Employees can also accrue an additional three tenths of a month on completion of each subsequent year of continuous service.

An employee is required to use a long service leave entitlement within 3 years of accruing the 10 and 20 year entitlement.

Long service leave may be granted in months and tenths of a month for periods of leave 7 calendar days or more. Long service leave may be granted on full pay, half pay or double pay.

Find out more, read By-law PDF (157.0 KB).

*Firefighters and correctional officers are entitled to 4 calendar months after 10 years service.

Parental leave entitlements cover maternity, paternity/partner and adoption leave.

Depending on an employee’s years of continuous service and the type of leave required, an employee may be able to access the following:

• for employees with less than 12 months continuous service and eligible casual employees - up to 12 months unpaid leave
• for employees with at least 12 months continuous service but less than 5 years service -  up to 3 years which includes a paid component of 14 weeks or
• for employees with 5 or more years service -  up to 3 years which includes a paid component of 18 weeks.

Depending on an employee's continuious service an employee may be entitled to the following:

• up to 8 weeks of paternity/partner leave:
  • unpaid for employees with less than 12 months service
  • one week paid for employees with at least 12 months service
  • two weeks paid for employees with 5 or more years
• two days unpaid pre-adoption leave to attend interviews prior to adoption.

Subject to certain conditions and eligibility requirements, an employee couple could combine their paid and unpaid parental leave entitlements.

Purchased leave allows an employee to pay for an additional period of leave up to a maximum of 8 weeks per year. This can be done through regular deductions from an employee’s fortnightly salary.

To be eligible to participate in a purchased leave scheme, an employee must have:

• option of entering into a purchased leave scheme under their applicable enterprise agreement
• completed 12 months continuous service.

For more information on purchased leave schemes read the current enterprise agreements or contact Workforce Services.

There are other forms of leave available to employees such as:

• domestic, family and sexual violence leave
• cultural and ceremonial leave
• NAIDOC leave
• kinship obligation leave
• foster and kinship carers leave
• defence service leave
• jury service.

Find out more, read the relevant enterprise agreement.