Leave

Factsheets / Leave

Leave is time away from work that can be taken for a number of reasons, such as caring for sick family members or going on a holiday. Australian workers and their unions have fought for and won a range of important leave and holiday entitlements that are among the best in the world. Minimum leave entitlements are included in the National Employment Standards. Your award, enterprise agreement or contract of employment may include extra leave entitlements. In this section you will find information on:

Reproductive leave

Reproductive leave is only available at a handful of workplaces in Australia – but union members are working to expand this reach

Family and Domestic Violence Leave

This fact sheet outlines the rules for taking 10 days paid Family and Domestic Violence leave

Paid Parental Leave

The Federal Government provides new parents in Australia with the Paid Parental Leave scheme. The goal of Paid Parental Leave (PPL) is to provide new parents with a period of time away from work to care for their new child. Thanks to a campaign run by union members, Australia’s PPL scheme has improved, and more is still to come! The key changes are: The current scheme From 1 July 2025, the amount of time available for leave is 24 weeks while you care for a child born or adopted after this date. The amount of time available will increase...

Carer’s Leave & Compassionate Leave

Both sick and carer’s leave (sometimes called personal leave) allow you to take time off work when you need to, without losing income. You can take this leave if you are unwell, which includes illness, injury, stress, poor mental health and many other things. You can also take this leave if you need to care for a member of your immediate family or household or if there is an emergency. Like most of your rights at work, these types of leave became law after the union movement campaigned for them and won. You need to give as much...

Leave entitlements during natural disasters

There is presently no specific universal form of leave to allow employees to be absent from work due to the impact of a natural disaster. If you are affected by a natural disaster, you can apply for annual leave, long service leave or other leave that is available to you. You may also be able to apply for personal leave (also known as sick leave/carer’s leave) under the National Employment Standards (NES) in some circumstances – for instance where you have to provide care or support to an immediate family or household member due to illness or in...

Natural disasters and stand downs

Stand downs during a natural disaster In some circumstances, such as during a natural disaster, an employer may have the right to stand down an employee for a period during which the employee cannot be usefully employed. A stand down is when an employer cannot usefully employ a worker because of any stoppage of work for a cause for which the employer cannot reasonably be held responsible. This can occur as a result of natural disasters, but can also occur due to events such as public health lockdowns in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. An employee who is...

Leave Loading – What Is It and Who Gets It?

Leave loading is an extra payment given on top of annual leave pay. Also known as holiday loading or annual leave loading.

Sick and Carer’s and Compassionate Leave

Both sick and carer’s leave and compassionate leave allow you to take time off work when you need to – without losing income. Like most of your rights at work, these types of leave became law after the union movement campaigned for them and won. Sick and carer’s leave Sick and carer’s leave, also known as personal leave, allows you to take a day off work when you need it and still get paid. You can take this leave if you are unwell, which includes illness, injury, stress, poor mental health and many other things. You can also...

Long Service Leave

Your long service leave entitlement depends on the state and territory laws where you are employed, or on your Award, enterprise agreement or other registered agreement.

Public Holidays

Public holidays are government set days of the year where employees can be absent from work for the day, or part of the day. You must still be paid your base rate of pay for this day, unless you are a casual employee. These entitlements form part of the National Employment Standards (NES). Public holidays can be different depending on the state or territory you work in, or where your employer is based. Below are 2026 public holidays around the country. NOTE: Some states and territories may have additional or varied public holidays for certain regional areas to those listed...

Annual Leave

Annual leave allows you to be paid while taking time off work. It became standard in 1970 after a hard-fought union campaign!

Maternity Leave

Maternity leave is now known as parental leave. To find out more, visit our Paid Parental Leave factsheet. Maternity leave became standard in 1979 after a long union campaign. Now known as parental leave, the union movement continues to campaign to protect and extend the rights of workers who are having or adopting a child. For the purposes of this factsheet, the leave will be referred to as ‘maternity leave’. Paid parental leave The Federal Government’s Paid Parental Leave Scheme provides up to 24 weeks of paid leave if you are having or adopting a child. If you are eligible for this payment, you will be paid...