New family and domestic violence leave entitlements – Are your Policies in Place?

Diversity Australia Blog

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Following a Fair Work Commission (FWC) decision, most employees can take unpaid leave to deal with family and domestic violence from the first full pay period on or after 1 August 2018.

The FWC will soon be updating all industry and occupation awards to include a new clause allowing employees to take unpaid leave to deal with family and domestic violence.

What is the family and domestic violence leave entitlement?

Employees covered by an award with the new clause are entitled to 5 days of unpaid family and domestic violence leave each year. Family and domestic violence means violent, threatening or other abusive behaviour by an employees family that:
• seeks to coerce or control the employee
• causes them harm or fear

Employees can take the leave if they need to deal with the impact of family and domestic violence and it’s impractical to do so outside their ordinary hours of work.

Who does it apply to?

The new entitlement applies to all employees covered by an industry or occupation award. It doesn’t apply to employees who are covered by:
• Enterprise awards
• State reference public sector awards
• Enterprise and other registered agreements
• or are award and agreement free

What should I do?

Should you require any further advice regarding family and domestic violence leave entitlements, please don’t hesitate to contact the Employer Assistance Team via 1300 135 822. Please download the draft determination from the FWC for more information on the legislation itself.

Download the draft determination.

Need Assistance in Policy and Training? Contact us below!

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About The Author

Steven Asnicar

Steven leads the Diversity Australia Consulting business in Australia and New Zealand and is an active Leader in the Asia Pacific region. With a senior executive career spanning 25 years in corporate as a Director and Chief Executive, consulting and executive search specialist, Steven founded and led a successful specialist leadership development and assessment firm in Asia Pacific for 18 years prior to founding Diversity Australia.

Steven is a highly experienced Executive and Coach, working with Boards, individuals and teams at the C-Suite level. He also advises clients on leadership development, succession planning and executive assessment. As an innate entrepreneur, Steven brings an innovative, data informed approach to co-create impactful yet pragmatic client solutions.

Steven earned a Masters of International Business specialising in Human Capital Management through Bond University, a Graduate Certificate of Corporate Management through Deakin and a Bachelor of Business through UQ. He is a is a graduate of the Global Institute of Directors, a qualified RABQSA Auditor, and is a thought leader on executive diversity, equity and inclusion, with over 26,000 followers on his LinkedIn profile: https://au.linkedin.com/in/steven-asnicar.

View our key team of consultants and trainers at: https://www.diversityaustralia.com.au/our-team.

About Diversity Australia: Leading the Way in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

WE CHAMPION INCLUSION FOR ALL ORGANISATIONS: Diversity Australia is the leading national and international diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) professional services firm.

We specialise in DE&I training and consulting, including unconscious bias, inclusive leadership, psychological safety, respect at work, and cultural awareness and change.

BUILDING HIGH-PERFORMING, INCLUSIVE CULTURES: Our passion lies in developing strategies that promote cultures of inclusion and diversity. We help organisations foster a high-performing, equitable workforce that sets a new global standard for DE&I.

EXPERIENCE & EXPERTISE YOU CAN TRUST:

Led by CEO Steven Asnicar, an experienced executive and thought leader in strategic human resources and DE&I;
Team of over 10 highly qualified consultants with advanced degrees and extensive industry experience;
Alignment with Global ISO Diversity and Inclusion Standards, Australian Inclusive Service Standards (ISS), and ASX Corporate Governance Council’s Corporate Governance Principles and Recommendations for DE&I;
Training content researched and created by subject matter experts, benchmarked across our diverse senior team;
Positive focus on the ethical and equity-related benefits of an inclusive culture.

About Diversity Australia:
Leading the Way in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

WE CHAMPION INCLUSION FOR ALL ORGANISATIONS: Diversity Australia is the leading national and international diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) professional services firm.

We specialise in DE&I training and consulting, including unconscious bias, inclusive leadership, psychological safety, respect at work, and cultural awareness and change.

EXPERIENCE & EXPERTISE YOU CAN TRUST:

● Led by CEO Steven Asnicar, an experienced executive and thought leader in strategic human resources and DE&I;
● Team of over 10 highly qualified consultants with advanced degrees and extensive industry experience;
● Alignment with Global ISO Diversity and Inclusion Standards, Australian Inclusive Service Standards (ISS), and ASX Corporate Governance Council’s Corporate Governance Principles and Recommendations for DE&I;
● Training content researched and created by subject matter experts, benchmarked across our diverse senior team;
● Positive focus on the ethical and equity-related benefits of an inclusive culture.