36. Personal leave

36.1.  Other than casual staff members, Personal leave is provided for the following circumstances:

1. sick leave for all staff members for recovery from personal illness;
2. carer’s leave for all staff members to care for an immediate family member, or a member of the employee's household, who requires care or support because of a personal illness, personal injury, or personal incapacity; or for an unexpected emergency affecting that staff member; or to provide related care for a medical condition, subject to a medical certificate;
3. bereavement leave of up to five days for an immediate family member;
4. cultural leave for the purpose of attending essential religious or cultural obligations associated with the staff member's particular religious faith, culture or tradition, subject to the provision of clause 36.10 and reasonable evidence as to the nature of the activity or ceremony the staff member is obliged to attend;
5. antenatal leave for the purpose of attending appointments associated with antenatal care, surrogacy, pre-adoption or permanent placement, subject to relevant evidence; or
6. on compassionate or other appropriate grounds as determined by the Director – Human Resources.

36.2.  For the purpose of personal leave the term “immediate family member” means the staff member’s partner including spouse, de facto and same sex partner, child, including the child of the staff member’s partner, parent including parent of the staff member’s partner, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, or sibling of a spouse or defacto partner.

36.3.  A staff member is entitled to personal leave on full pay at the rate of:

36.4.  All paid personal leave is cumulative.

36.5.  On commencement a staff member will be credited with the first year’s entitlement. The second and subsequent years’ entitlements accrue throughout the year and become available on the anniversary of appointment.

36.6.  Where reasonable circumstances exist, the delegate may approve a staff member taking part of their personal leave entitlement as additional days on a half pay basis.

36.7.  All staff must advise their supervisor as soon as possible of their inability to attend work and submit an application for all periods of personal leave.

36.8.  A medical certificate is required for absences in excess of three consecutive days. The evidence may include: a statutory declaration; medical certificate; or other reasonable evidence considered acceptable by the University. In the case of ongoing illness, staff members should discuss and agree with their supervisors on the evidence required. Where considered warranted, the delegate may require a medical certificate for any future absence(s).

36.9.  A seriously ill staff member who has used all of their personal leave credits and who is suffering substantial hardship may apply to the Director – Human Resources for assistance during the illness.

36.10.  Applications for personal leave for the purpose of attending a significant cultural event in accordance with clause 36.1 will normally be submitted four weeks prior to leave to allow the work area to make appropriate staffing arrangements to cover the absence if necessary.

36.11.  A staff member may apply for compassionate leave, in addition to personal leave, of up to two days per occasion, as provided for in the National Employment Standards; where a member of the staff members’ immediate family or household contracts or develops a personal illness that poses a serious threat to their life; or sustains a personal injury that poses a serious threat to their life; or dies.

Personal leave for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff members

36.12.  For the purpose of bereavement leave (clause 36.1 (c)), “immediate family member” for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff members means family by marriage, adoption, fostering, traditional kinship and refers to a staff member’s: spouse or former spouse, domestic partner or former domestic partner; their child or adult child (including their adopted child, step child, or an ex-nuptial child), parent, brother, sister, grandparent, foster-grandparent, step-grandparent, grandchild, in-law relative, guardian, ward or a person with respect to whom the staff member has an Indigenous kinship relationship of equivalent significance or a person who stands in a bona fide domestic or household relationship with a staff member including situations in which there is implied some dependency or support role for the staff member.

36.13.  In order to fulfil cultural, community and family obligations, the University will support all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff members by providing one day paid NAIDOC leave annually.  It is recognised that leave to attend NAIDOC activities is of mutual benefit to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff members and the University.

36.14.  Where an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff member has exhausted all personal leave provisions, an additional four days personal leave will be granted to facilitate the staff member’s cultural responsibilities as identified in clause 36.1 (c) and (d).