- Local government employees to have clearer long service
leave entitlements
- New regulations strengthen the existing portability scheme
- Improved measures for part-time and casual employees
The Cook Government is
introducing long service leave regulations to give clarity and certainty of the
entitlements for around 23,000 Western Australian local government workers.
The new regulations improve the
operation of the local government long service leave portability scheme, which
is an integral part of local government employment conditions. This means that
when staff change employment from one local government to another, their
previous service continues to count towards their long service leave
entitlements.
The new regulations, which come
into effect on 1 September 2024,
introduce a raft of improvements including:
- a longer permitted period of break between
local government sector employers that maintains the employee's continuity of
service;
- allowing for parental leave pay from the
Australian Government to count towards long service leave accrual;
- allowing advanced long service leave and the
cashing out of long service leave; and
- clear protections for the entitlements in the
event of unfair or unlawful dismissal.
These changes will also bring
specific benefits for employees who have worked casually or part-time or who
have moved between employers.
More information about the changes is available
on the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries website
at: http://www.dlgsc.wa.gov.au/long-service
Comments attributed to Local Government Minister Hannah Beazley:
"Replacing these outdated
regulations is just one part of the Cook Government's reform agenda, which delivers
the biggest improvements to WA's local government system in 25 years.
"These changes bring
clarity to employees' entitlements in different situations, and we expect it will
be easier for local government employers to calculate and administer long
service leave.
"Ensuring part-time or
casual workers have fair access to long service leave is especially important
for women and younger people in our local government workforce.
"Tens of thousands of
Western Australians serve our community by working in local government - their
dedication needs to be recognised and fairly rewarded through long service
leave.
"I would like to thank sector
unions, the WA Local Government Association and Local Government Professionals
WA for their input developing these reforms."
