Personal leave entitlements

1.         Personal leave is provided for under the ANU Enterprise Agreement, legislation and the ANU Staff Leave policy. Casual and sessional staff are not entitled to Personal Leave.

2.         Personal leave is provided for the following circumstances:

• Sick leave for all staff members for recovery from personal illness or injury;
• Carer's leave for all staff members to care for an immediate family member or relative in the staff member's household who is ill, injured, incapacitated, or to provide related care for a medical condition subject to a medical practitioner's certificate;
• Bereavement leave for an immediate family member;
• Cultural leave;
• Unexpected emergencies; or
• Other compassionate or appropriate grounds as determined by the delegate.

3.         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; or
• Grandchild.

4.         For the purpose of personal leave the term "relative" means a person related by:

• Blood;
• Marriage;
• Affinity; and
• Includes a same-sex partner.

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

6.         All personal leave is cumulative.

7.         On commencement a staff member will be credited with the 1st year's entitlement. 2nd and subsequent year's entitlement accrues throughout the year and is available on the anniversary of appointment.

8.         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.

Special provisions for academic personal leave

9.         As at 19 December 2008, academic staff will accrue personal leave in accordance with the table in clause 5 above.

10.       All existing academic staff shall be provided with a one-off additional personal leave credit of 15 days per year for each year of service, provided that where a staff member or their supervisor establishes that significant personal leave has been already taken, this additional personal leave credit may be varied accordingly. Should this leave credit be insufficient to cover an extended period of personal leave, a staff member is able to make an application to the Director - Human Resources for assistance during his or her illness.

Medical certificates

11.       An acceptable medical certificate (or where it is not reasonably practicable - a statutory declaration) is required for absences in excess of 5 consecutive days or 3 or more 12-hour shifts. Where considered warranted, the delegate may require an acceptable medical certificate for any future absence(s).

12.       Subject to Clause 14 and 15 of this procedure, an acceptable medical certificate will include certificates from medical service providers including the following:

(a)        Registered Medical Practitioners such as General Practitioners, Medical Specialists, Dentists, Orthodontists, registered nurses, midwives; or

(b)        Health Care Providers such as Chiropractors, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech Pathologists, Podiatrist, Dietician; or

(c)        Natural Therapists including naturopaths, herbalists, homeopaths, nutritionists, massage therapists, where a referral to that therapist has been arranged by a registered medical practitioner.

13.       Medical certificates provided by persons from the categories (b) and (c) above may be used to support an absence for an appointment.

14.       A certificate from a natural therapist or health care providers is at the discretion of the Delegate.

15.       An acceptable medical certificate (or statutory declaration in accordance with clause 11) will state that, either:

• The staff member had, has, or will have a personal illness or injury during the period; or
• The staff member is unfit for duty; or
• The staff member requires (or required) care or support during the period of absence due to: a personal illness, or injury; or an unexpected emergency; or
• The staff member's immediate family member or household member is unwell and the staff member is required to care for the unwell family or household member.

Medical certificates for worker's compensation

16.       For workers' compensation as specified in the Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988 (SRC Act) the medical certificate should be provided as follows:

• Claimants need to provide an original certificate stating a precise medical diagnosis and indicating a work-related injury or disease;
• If a claim is made for chiropractic, physiotherapy or osteopathic treatment only and not for payment of any time off work, an original medical certificate from the treating chiropractor, physiotherapist or osteopath is acceptable;
• In all other cases claimants will need to provide an original medical certificate from a legally qualified medical practitioner (for example a general practitioner or medical specialist); and
• If a claim is made for an illness or disease the medical practitioner will also need to provide information that indicates how employment with the University contributed to the medical condition.

17.       It is important to note that these conditions should also be applied to medical certificates connected with claims under the University's minor injury guidelines.

Other conditions for personal leave

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

19.       A staff member who is accepted, by a relevant superannuation fund, for temporary or permanent incapacity will have a notional sick leave balance calculated for the purposes of determining the commencement date for incapacity payment. The notional sick leave accruals for the purpose of calculating the balance provided for in this clause will be calculated on the basis of 15 days of sick leave for the first three completed years of continuous service with the University and 20 days of sick leave for each completed year of service thereafter.

20.       A seriously ill staff member who has used all of his or her personal leave credits and who is suffering substantial hardship may apply to Director - Human Resources for assistance during his or her illness.

21.       Applications for personal leave for the purpose of attending a significant cultural event will normally be submitted 4 weeks prior to leave to allow the work area to make appropriate staffing arrangements to cover the absence if necessary.

Notification and application process

22.       As soon as reasonably practicable staff

• Must notify their immediate supervisor of their absence: in advance, provide the reason(s) and the anticipated period of the absence;
• Must provide an acceptable medical certificate (or statutory declaration in accordance with clause 11) to their immediate supervisor or another staff member nominated by the University;
• Must provide an acceptable medical certificate (or statutory declaration in accordance with clause 11) at anytime before or after the personal leave has started. Staff may be excused from complying with this requirement if the circumstances are beyond the staff member's control; and
• Must submit an online leave application (HORUS) for all periods of personal leave taken.

23.       A delegate must exercise their delegation to approve a leave application in accordance with the conditions and approval arrangements specified in this procedure.

24.       Approval of leave beyond those provided for through this procedure requires approval of the Director - Human Resources or the Vice-Chancellor.

Modified in line with provisions of the current ANU Enterprise Agreement