3.11 Recreation Leave

3.11 RECREATION LEAVE

3.11.1 Recreational leave is a combination of leave types that recognise minimum entitlement(s) and other forms of recreational leave to assist staff to achieve work-life balance. Recreational leave encompasses Annual leave, University Holidays and Public Holidays. The management of Recreational leave will be in accordance with the University’s Policy and procedures for Recreational leave.

3.11.2 Entitlement to Recreation Leave

3.11.2.1 A staff member is entitled to Annual Leave at the rate of twenty (20) working days for each completed year of paid service from the date of their appointment, or pro rata thereof.

3.11.2.2 A staff member can seek the approval of the delegated officer to continue to accrue annual leave above forty (40) days on the condition that an application has been made and approved for the staff member to take sufficient annual leave to bring their accrued entitlement below twenty (20) days within one (1) year.

3.11.2.3 Where a staff member is ill or incapacitated while on annual leave for two (2) or more consecutive days and the staff member produces proof of illness and/or incapacity, and such evidence is in accordance with sub-clause 3.10.4, the staff member shall be placed on personal sick leave (where available) and re-credited the equivalent amount of annual leave.

3.11.2.4 A staff member is entitled to a minimum of ten (10) public holidays per annum as observed in each State or Territory to be taken on the day gazetted by the relevant state or territory authority. These are Christmas Day; Boxing Day; New Year’s Day; Australia Day; Good Friday; Easter Monday; ANZAC Day; Queen’s Birthday; Labour Day; Melbourne Cup; Ballarat Cup or Ballarat Show Day (whichever is first gazetted as a public holiday) (VIC); Queensland Show Day (QLD); Canberra Day (ACT); Reconciliation Day (ACT); Friday before AFL Grand Final (VIC); Adelaide Cup Day (SA) and Bank Holiday (NSW) – which alone will be taken in conjunction with the annual Christmas closedown.

3.11.2.5 Staff members are entitled to three (3) days of University Holidays which are associated with the annual Christmas closedown.

3.11.3 Planning for Leave and Applying for and Taking Leave

3.11.3.1 Annual leave will be taken at a time or times that are mutually convenient to the University and the staff member.

3.11.3.2 An academic staff member and their supervisor are required to make provision for the staff member to take annual leave when consulting about the staff member’s academic workload allocation each year.

3.11.4 Fractional Staff to Take Leave Outside the Semester/Teaching Period

Unless otherwise agreed by the University, fractional staff members will normally take their accrued annual leave during the periods of the year when they are not required to attend work to perform their duties. These periods of time will normally be outside the teaching period for Academic staff.

3.11.5 Management of Excess Annual Leave

Direction to Take Leave

3.11.5.1 In circumstances where a staff member’s annual leave credits exceed forty (40) days, the University is entitled to direct that staff member to take ten (10) days annual leave to immediately reduce the balance of their annual leave credits below thirty (30) days by a specified date.

3.11.5.2 Any such notice shall provide that, within two (2) months of the date of the notice the staff member may negotiate with their Supervisor for an agreed time for the leave to be taken to bring the accrued leave entitlement below thirty (30) days within six (6) months of the date of the notice.

3.11.5.3 If, at the expiry of two (2) months from the date of the notice referred to in sub-clause 3.11.5.2 above, no agreed plan for reducing the accrued annual leave entitlement has been established in accordance with sub-clause 3.11.5.2 or above; or the staff member cancels such planned leave; in the absence of any exceptional circumstances the University may direct the staff member to take sufficient annual leave to bring their accrued entitlement below thirty (30) days, and may direct the dates on which such leave will be taken. The University must give at least two (2) months’ notice of the date on which the staff member is directed to take leave.

3.11.5.4 In circumstances where the staff member is directed to take annual leave, the University will be entitled to deduct from the staff member’s accrued annual leave the amount of annual leave that the staff member has been directed to take at the conclusion of the directed period.

3.11.6 Cashing out excess Annual Leave

3.11.6.1 In circumstances where a staff member’s annual leave entitlement exceeds forty (40) days, the staff member may elect to cash out up to twenty (20) days of annual leave if the staff member is a full-time staff member, (and pro rata of the full-time entitlement to twenty (20) days if the staff member is a part time staff member), at the rate equivalent to the amount the staff member would have received for working their ordinary hours during the period to be cashed out if:

• The staff member provides written notice to the University stating that they wish to forego the annual leave and receive the payment instead; and

• The University agrees to allow the staff member to forego the annual leave.

3.11.6.2 If a staff member wishes to forego an entitlement to take an amount of annual leave (in accordance with this clause) the University will pay the staff member, within a reasonable time, the amount of pay the staff member is entitled to receive in lieu of the amount of annual leave.

3.11.7 Payment of Untaken Leave on Termination

Where a staff member ceases employment with the University or dies, that person or their estate shall be paid in lieu of annual leave not taken where such leave is owing.