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We offer comprehensive leave conditions that can be accessed at various stages of your time with us. Further leave entitlements and details can be viewed below or at any time via our CSIRO Enterprise Agreement 2020-2023.

Recreation leave

Recreation leave is available to ensure that regular breaks are taken from the workplace for rest and relaxation. Full-time staff members accrue recreation leave of up to twenty working days per annum. Part-time staff members accrue recreation leave on a pro-rata basis relative to their standard hours of duty.

Maternity and Parental leave

Staff members are provided leave and conditions associated with birth, adoption, fostering (long term) or becoming a permanent legal guardian for a child. Staff members are entitled to up to 52 weeks of unpaid maternity or parental leave. If staff members have completed 12 months of service with us or the Commonwealth, they are entitled to 18 weeks of paid maternity or parental leave. Alternatively, you can choose to take this leave over a thirty-six-week period at half pay. Once this paid maternity or parental leave period ends, any subsequent leave up to the 52-week mark will be unpaid.  An additional unpaid parental leave period of up to 12 months may also be available.

Partner leave

 Staff members who are not eligible for Maternity or Parental leave, can access up to four weeks of paid partner leave on the birth of their child, adoption, guardianship or long-term foster care placement of a child or their partner’s child. You must have been employed with us or the Commonwealth for a minimum of 12 months in order to access this leave. Staff members who have not completed 12 months' service are entitled to a maximum of one-week paid partner leave. Unpaid parental leave is also available for up to 12 months.

Miscellaneous leave

Miscellaneous leave is intended to provide flexibility to meet a staff member's personal circumstances and to provide leave during the annual shut down period. It allows greater flexibility in leave arrangements so that staff members can attend to family and personal obligations or emergencies without resorting to categories of leave intended for other purposes. Our staff members accrue miscellaneous leave at the rate of four days per year (subject to a maximum balance of 15 days and 17 days for staff in Alice Springs).

Domestic family violence and abuse leave

This leave option gives our staff members the additional support to attend to matters arising from domestic family violence and abuse that affect them personally, their household or an immediate family member. This leave entitlement includes up to 10 days of paid leave per annum (pro rata for part time staff and unpaid leave for casual staff). Further support, access to services and flexible work arrangements are also available to staff members during times of need.

Leave without pay

Leave without pay may also be granted for general purposes for periods of up to three years. Reasons for this leave can include for family and personal reasons, in times when taking other forms of leave is not appropriate, when paid leave credits are not available or when the absence is in the interests of the Commonwealth.

Sick and carer's leave

A staff member accrues up to 15 days paid leave per annum (pro rata) which can be taken for a personal illness or injury, or for the purposes of providing care or support to a sick or injured member of the staff member’s immediate family or household. On commencement, new staff members also receive a credit of 2 days or if applicable, a credit based on recognised service with a former employer. Unpaid sick and carer's leave is also available.

Long service leave

Long service leave is available to staff members after 10 years of service. It accrues at the rate of 3/10 month for each completed year of service (excluding any periods of unpaid leave) and is pro-rated for part time staff members. At the end of 10 years, staff members can access 3 months of paid long service leave. There is also option to extend this leave duration by taking twice the amount of leave (6 months) at half of their normal rate of pay.

Voluntary emergency management activity leave

In addition to Miscellaneous leave, paid and unpaid leave is available for staff members participating in voluntary emergency management activities. This includes leave for regular training, all emergency services responses, reasonable recovery time and ceremonial duties.

Compassionate leave

All staff member's (excluding casuals) may be granted up to three days paid compassionate leave on each occasion that a member of their immediate family or household contracts or develops a personal illness that poses a serious threat to his or her life, sustains a personal injury that poses a serious threat to his or her life or passes away. Casuals are entitled to up to 3 days' unpaid compassionate leave. We also offer a number of services to support staff and their families during this time.

Study leave

Many staff members undertake additional study while they are with us. Financial assistance with studies may be granted to team members who undertake an educational commitment, as well as the opportunity to access other benefits like study leave.

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