8.

LEAVE POLICY:
▌Policy Statement

<Company>’s policy is all employees are entitled to leave in accordance with the
relevant awards/agreements and statutory provisions. Where the attached practices
conflict with employment law for an employee, or group of employees, the law will
take precedence. Leave for full time employees will generally be 20 days per annum
plus gazette public holidays in the workplace jurisdiction.

8.1 Annual Leave

All employees are entitled to a minimum of 20 days annual leave a year on

completion of 12 months of service. Leave entitlements are calculated from date of
commencement.

It is preferred annual leave is not accrued from year to year. Employees are expected
to co-operate in taking annual leave as requested when the business closes for the
Christmas break.

In the first 12 months of employment, employees can only take annual leave once it
has accrued (or at management’s discretion), unless required by management to
take annual leave over the Christmas period.

In some circumstances, leave in advance of accrual may be approved and each

request will be assessed individually by the relevant manager. This may be
conditional on the individual agreeing to the Company deducting any advance in the
event of termination, or to the employee accepting leave without pay.

Applications for annual leave should be lodged four weeks in advance. Leave
application forms should be filled out and forwarded to payroll for action. Annual
leave will count towards continuous service.

Any annual leave requests in excess of two weeks continuous leave must be signed
off by management.

Employees may request to cash out up to two weeks of their credited annual leave
entitlement every 12 months (or the pro-rata equivalent for part-time employees). A
request to cash out annual leave must be made in writing and given to your manager
for approval.
8.2 Personal Leave

As per the Workplace Relations Amendment (Work Choices) Act 2005, personal
leave, carer’s leave and sick leave have all been aggregated under the title personal
leave.

An employee should notify his/her manager as soon as possible if he/she is unable to

attend work due to illness or injury. Absences of two or more days in a row require a
medical certificate.

Employees are entitled to 10 days of personal leave every 12 months.

Paid personal leave accrues on a pro-rata basis and is cumulative.

Personal leave for illness immediately prior to or following a gazetted public holiday
requires a medical certificate.

If all personal leave accumulated has been taken, then an employee is entitled to a
period of up to two days unpaid personal leave per occasion (e.g. when a member of
the employee’s immediate family or household requires care or support).

8.3 Compassionate/Bereavement Leave

Compassionate leave is paid leave taken by an employee for the purposes of

spending time with a family member/member of employee’s household, who has a
personal illness, or injury, that poses a serious threat to his/her life, or after the death
of a family member/member of the employee’s household.

Each employee is entitled to a period of two days paid compassionate leave for each
occasion where a family member has died or the employee needs to spend time with
a seriously ill family member

Each application for compassionate leave will be assessed individually by

management.

Compassionate leave will count towards continuous service.

8.4 Long Service Leave

You will be entitled to long service leave in line with the provisions of the appropriate
legislation in your state.

Employees should give reasonable notice of intention to take long service leave and
payment will be made at the normal hourly rate of pay.

Long Service Leave will count towards continuous service.

8.5 Maternity Leave

Female employees with at least 12 months of continuous service are entitled to

maternity leave.

Maternity leave is unpaid leave which is available for a minimum period of six weeks
and for a maximum period of 52 weeks if the employee is the primary carer. Other
types of leave can be taken in conjunction with maternity leave providing the total
period of absence does not exceed 52 weeks.

Any employee taking maternity leave is required to take at least six weeks
continuous leave after the date of the birth of her child. The employer may, with 14
days notice, require the employee to commence maternity leave within six weeks of
the presumed confinement date.

Applications for maternity leave should include personal details, a medical certificate
detailing the expected date of confinement or birth, proposed commencement date
and duration of leave. Advice as to whether superannuation payments will continue
should be given by the employee.

Where the pregnancy is terminated other than by birth of a living child and the
employee has not commenced maternity leave, her entitlement to such leave ceases
to exist. However, an employee may be entitled to special maternity leave, as
specified by her doctor, if the pregnancy has extended beyond 28 weeks, and is
terminated other than by birth of a living child.

Details of return to work date must be given four weeks in advance. The employee is
entitled to return to the position held prior to taking maternity leave or to an
alternative position of comparable status and pay.

Maternity leave will not count towards continuous service.

▌ Transfer to a Safe Job

If a pregnant employee provides a doctors certificate stating she is fit to work
but is unable to continue in her present position she is entitled to be transferred
to a safe job. If transferring the employee to a safe job is not reasonably
practicable then the employee is entitled to paid leave for the period during
which she is unable to continue in her present position (as stated in the medical
certificate).

A pregnant employee is only eligible to be transferred to a safe job if she is

entitled to, and has formally applied for, maternity leave.

This entitlement is in addition to any other leave entitlement and does not
reduce the period of maternity leave to which an employee is entitled.

8.6 Paternity Leave

Permanent male employees with at least 12 months continuous service are entitled
to paternity leave.
Paternity leave is unpaid leave available for a minimum period of one week at the
time of confinement and a maximum period of 52 weeks if the employee is the
primary carer.

Other types of leave can be taken in conjunction with paternity leave providing the
total period of absence does not exceed 52 weeks.

Applications for paternity leave should include personal details, a medical certificate
detailing the date of confinement or birth, proposed commencement date and
duration of leave. Additionally, the employee will need to provide a Statutory
Declaration stating he will be the primary carer. Advice as to whether superannuation
payments will continue should be given by the employee.

Where the pregnancy is terminated other than by the birth of a living child and the
employee has not commenced paternity leave, his entitlement to such leave ceases
to exist.

Details of the return to work date must be given four weeks in advance. The
employee is entitled to return to the position he held prior to taking paternity leave or
to an alternative position of comparable status and pay.

Paternity leave will not count towards continuous service.

8.7 Adoption Leave

An employee seeking to adopt a child may take up to two days of unpaid pre-
adoption leave to attend any interviews or examinations required to obtain approval
for the adoption.

Employees adopting a child under the age of five years are entitled to take up to 52
weeks of unpaid adoption leave (shared between both parents). This leave is only
available when the adopted child has not previously lived continuously with either
parent for at least six months and is not a child or step child of either parent. Parents
may take up to three weeks unpaid leave simultaneously when an adopted child is
placed with them.

Other types of leave can be taken in conjunction with adoption leave providing the
total period of absence does not exceed 52 weeks.

8.8 Study Leave

Employees are entitled to study leave to undertake further education courses

relevant to <Company>’s business and approved by the Company.

The maximum amount of study leave that should be approved is four hours per week
to attend lectures or 10 full days per year for those who are studying by
correspondence and who are required to attend residential courses. Applications
should be lodged four weeks in advance by filling out a training course application
form and forwarding to payroll.

Employees are entitled to paid leave to sit an examination.

Days in excess of this entitlement are at the discretion of the manager.

Study leave will count towards continuous service.

8.9 Time in Lieu

Time-in-lieu will be granted to those employees who are required by their manager to
work outside of their normal job function. All time-in-lieu granted will be added to the
employee’s annual leave.

The <Company> will maintain time-in-lieu accounts which will record time-in-lieu
credits and debits. This allows management to provide time-in-lieu as a discretionary
benefit. Generally, time-in-lieu should be taken within the same financial year within
which it is accrued.

Time-in-lieu must be pre-approved by the appropriate manager.

8.10 Leave Without Pay

Approval of leave without pay is at the discretion of management.

An application giving personal details, employment details, the amount of time and
the reason for the leave should be submitted by the employee.

Other types of appropriate paid leave should be used before approval for leave
without pay can proceed.

Failure to return to work on the date stipulated may result in loss of continuity or
termination. Extension of leave will be considered on an individual basis. An
exchange of letters is required setting out all conditions.

Leave without pay will not count towards continuous service.

8.11 Blood Donor Leave

Employees may donate blood during working hours without loss of pay provided that:
▌ the payment will be for up to two hours, once in each quarter of the year
▌ the time fits in with work requirements
▌ it is with the approval of their immediate supervisor on presentation of an
attendance card authorised by the Red Cross Transfusion Service
8.12 Jury Duty

Employees are entitled to paid leave to serve on a jury. An employee on jury service
should provide official evidence of requirement to attend and attendance at the court.

Employees should declare the amount paid to them by the court and <Company> will
reimburse them the difference between the amount received and their base salary.

Jury duty leave will count towards continuous service.

8.13 Emergency Services Leave

If an employee needs to take temporary absence from work because of voluntary

emergency management activities (e.g. dealing with an emergency/natural disaster
on a voluntary basis, as a member of SES, CFA, Army Reserve etc) then they must
make a request to management for leave.

The total absence for such leave must be reasonable (take into account current work
deadlines etc) and must be agreed between the employee and management.
<Company> may refuse a request by an employee to attend emergencies if they are
urgently required at work. If an employee does not accept the decision of the
directors and leaves work without permission, they may be subject to disciplinary
proceedings including dismissal.

▌Objective

The objectives of the leave policy are to ensure all staff have adequate time away
from work for family holidays, special events, rest and recreation while avoiding the
build up of large amounts of annual leave not taken on the Company balance sheet.

▌Application

The leave policy will be successfully applied when staff take appropriate breaks from
work and when all annual leave is taken within the calendar year.
▌Process

All planned leave will be taken at a mutually agreed time and will take into account
workload requirements and an employee’s individual needs.

Leave must be approved in advance with the exception of sick leave or special leave
where absences cannot be anticipated.

A leave form should be completed, signed by the employee’s manager and

forwarded to payroll for action.