Parental Leave

Parental leave enables men and women to take time off work to care for their newborn or newly adopted child. Parental leave is available to both full time and part time staff who have met the service provisions prior to birth or placement of adopted children.

Eligibility

Any staff member, other than a casual employee, who has undertaken at least 40 weeks paid continuous work for the University, can apply for parental leave to care for their newborn or newly adopted child. All leave entitlements relating to the birth of a child apply to the adoption of a child. In the case of adoption, the date of placement equates to the date of birth for parental leave provisions.

Part time and fractional staff, who meet the length of service requirement, are eligible for parental leave for the same period as full time staff, but paid leave will be made on a pro rata basis to the fraction of their employment.

Staff who have not completed the 40 weeks service requirement are not entitled to parental leave but may submit an application for leave without pay. Such applications will be considered on a case by case basis.

Paid parental leave

Female staff members are entitled to a maximum of 14 consecutive weeks of paid leave (28 weeks at half pay) before, during and after the birth of their child. Similarly the primary care giver (male or female) in an adoptive arrangement is entitled to the same leave conditions. A staff member who is the partner and not the primary caregiver can access up to 5 days paid partner leave following the birth or adoption of their child. A staff member acting as the primary caregiver of a foster child who is placed into the staff member’s family for an anticipated period in excess of 6 months will be entitled to access up to 5 days paid foster parent leave from the time the child enters their care.

Unpaid parental leave

A new mother can take unpaid parental leave in addition to her period of paid leave, up to a total of 52 weeks leave altogether.  So, for example, someone taking 14 weeks paid parental leave could take an additional 38 weeks unpaid leave after the birth/placement of a child.
Either parent is eligible for unpaid parental leave to care for their newborn or newly adopted child, provided they are the primary carer for the child at the time. Except for one week at the time of the birth or placement of the child, the parents may not normally be on parental leave at the same time.

Return to work on a part time basis incorporating parental leave

Parental leave can be taken over a 2 year period after the actual date of birth or placement of a child, if a staff member wants to incorporate some part-time work in the return to work program. A number of combinations of paid and unpaid leave, full time and part time work are possible. The key factor is that no more than 365 days, for a full time staff member, can be taken as leave (paid or unpaid) in the 2 year period following the birth or placement. Staff wishing to utilise part-time work on their return to work will need to consider a return to work program that meets this requirement. Discussion should be initiated with the Head of Unit as soon as possible. A return to work proposal must be acceptable to the Head of Unit.  If a program is deemed unacceptable, there is an onus on the Head of Unit to provide reasons for non-approval. In some situations, an employer may be deemed to have made a discriminatory decision, if a reasonable request for part time work is refused.

Maternity Leave Return to Work Grant

An amount equivalent to 12 weeks of annual salary is available to staff members who return to a workload of at least 40% of full-time after maternity leave. This grant may be used to supplement the staff member’s salary where they are returning to work in a part-time capacity or to assist with career development or to subsidise child care costs.

Last reviewed: 12 March, 2008