Section 7 – Employee support and workplace culture

Blood donation

  1. An employee can take reasonable time away from duty during their ordinary work hours to donate blood, plasma or platelets. The time includes reasonable travel time. The time will be treated as ordinary work hours.
  2. The employee must inform their manager in advance of when they will be away from work.

Vaccinations

  1. Treasury will offer annual influenza vaccinations to all employees at no cost to the employee.
  2. Where Treasury requires an employee performing a role to be vaccinated for a particular condition, this vaccination will be offered at no expense to the employee.

Employee Assistance Program

  1. An employee, their partner, and dependants will have access to a confidential, professional counselling service to assist employees to manage personal and work issues. This service will be provided by Treasury at no cost to employees and will be accessible on paid time.

Respect at work

Principles

  1. Treasury values a safe, respectful and inclusive workplace free from physical and psychological harm, harassment, discrimination and bullying. Treasury recognises that preventing sexual harassment, sex discrimination, sex‑based harassment and victimisation in the workplace is a priority.
  2. Treasury recognises that approaches to prevent sexual harassment, sex discrimination, sex‑based harassment and victimisation in the workplace should be holistic and consistent with the Australian Human Rights Commission’s guidance, including the Good Practice Indicators Framework for Preventing and Responding to Workplace Sexual Harassment.

Consultation

  1. Treasury will consult with employees and their unions in developing, reviewing and evaluating approaches to prevent sexual harassment, sex discrimination, sex‑based harassment and victimisation in the workplace.

Family and domestic violence support

  1. Treasury will provide support for employees affected by family and domestic violence, depending on the employee’s circumstances.
  2. Treasury recognises that a holistic approach should be taken to support the employee, appropriate for the employee’s individual circumstances.
  3. Family and domestic violence support provisions, including paid leave, are available to all employees covered by this agreement.
  4. An employee experiencing family and domestic violence support is able to access paid miscellaneous leave. Reasons an employee experiencing family and domestic violence may access this leave include, but are not limited to:
    1. illness or injury affecting the employee resulting from family and domestic violence;
    2. providing care or support to a family member (including a household member) who is also experiencing family and domestic violence, and is ill or injured as a result of family and domestic violence;
    3. providing care or support to a family member (including a household member) who is also experiencing family and domestic violence, and is affected by an unexpected emergency as a result of family and domestic violence;
    4. making arrangements for the employee’s safety, or the safety of a close relative;
    5. accessing alternative accommodation;
    6. accessing police services;
    7. attending court hearings;
    8. attending counselling; and
    9. attending appointments with medical, financial or legal professionals.
  5. This entitlement exists in addition to an employee’s existing leave entitlements and may be taken as consecutive days, single days or part days and will count as service for all purposes.
  6. Given the emergency context in which leave may need to be accessed, employees can proceed to take the leave and seek approval at a later date, as soon as practicable.
  7. These provisions do not reduce an employee’s entitlement to family and domestic violence leave under the NES.
  8. Paid miscellaneous leave available under clause 344 is paid for ongoing and non‑ongoing employees at their full rate as if they were at work.
  9. Paid leave for casual employees (see clause 321) is paid at their full pay rate for the hours they were rostered to work in the period they took leave.
  10. Evidence may be requested to support Treasury in approving leave. In most cases, this will not be required. Where it is required, this will be discussed with the employee and a statutory declaration is the only form of evidence Treasury will require, unless the employee chooses to provide another form of evidence.
  11. An employee may also choose to provide other forms of evidence, including a medical certificate, or document issued by the police service, a court, a doctor, district nurse, a family violence support service or lawyer.
  12. Treasury will take all reasonable measures to treat information relating to family and domestic violence confidentially. Treasury will adopt a ‘needs to know’ approach regarding communication of an employee’s experience of family and domestic violence, subject to steps Treasury may need to take to ensure the safety of the employee, other employees or persons, or mandatory reporting requirements.
  13. Where Treasury needs to disclose confidential information for purposes identified in clause 352, where it is possible Treasury will seek the employee’s consent and take practical steps to minimise any associated safety risks for the employee and/or privacy breaches.
  14. Treasury will not store or include information on the employee’s payslip in relation to the employee’s experience of family and domestic violence; any leave accessed for the purposes of family and domestic violence; or support(s) provided by the employer, unless otherwise required by legislation.
  15. Other available support may include, but is not limited to, flexible working arrangements, additional access to EAP, and changes to the employee’s bandwidth, pattern of hours, shift patterns, and location of work where reasonably practicable.
  16. Treasury will acknowledge and take into account an employee’s experience of family and domestic violence if an employee’s attendance or performance at work is affected.
  17. Further information about leave and other support available to employees affected by family and domestic violence may be found in policy.

Integrity in the APS

  1. Treasury understands that procedural fairness is essential in building and maintaining trust with APS employees, and that it requires fair and impartial processes for employees affected by APS‑wide or Treasury decisions.
  2. Employees are to give advice that is frank, honest, timely and based on the best available evidence. This includes scientific and engineering advice based on evidence‑based facts guided by the best available science and data. Employees will not be disadvantaged or discriminated against because they have given advice in accordance with their expertise or professional qualifications and in accordance with the APS Code of Conduct in the Public Service Act 1999.
  3. Employees can, during their ordinary work hours, take time to:
    1. access an APS‑wide ethics advisory service or another similar service provided by Treasury or a professional association such as a law society; and
    2. attend Treasury mandated training about integrity.

First Nations cultural competency training

  1. The Secretary will take reasonable steps to ensure all substantive, ongoing EL 2 employees employed at the commencement of this agreement or any new substantive, ongoing EL 2 employees who commence within the first 6 months of this agreement will complete relevant First Nations cultural competency training within 12 months of the commencement of the agreement.
  2. Any new substantive, ongoing EL 2 employee who commences after 6 months of the commencement of this agreement will be required to complete a relevant First Nations cultural competency training course within 6 months of their engagement or promotion.

Lactation and breastfeeding support

  1. Reasonable paid time during work hours will be provided for lactation breaks for breastfeeding, expressing milk and other associated activities.
  2. Treasury will provide access to appropriate facilities for the purpose of breastfeeding or expressing milk, subject to clause 365. In considering whether a space is appropriate, Treasury should consider whether:
    1. there is access to refrigeration;
    2. the space is lockable; and
    3. there are facilities needed for expressing, such as appropriate seating.
  3. Where it is not practicable for a Treasury site to have a designated space, a flexible approach will be taken so that the employee can access the support required.
  4. Treasury will facilitate discussion between individual employees and their managers about accommodating the employee’s lactation needs and practical arrangements to meet these needs.
  5. The manager and employee shall discuss any flexible working arrangements that may be needed to support lactation. This may include consideration of arrangements such as working from home, or remote working or varying work hours on an ad‑hoc or regular basis. Wherever possible, requests by an employee will be accommodated, noting these needs may be changed over time.
  6. Further information is available in policy.

Disaster support

  1. Where an official disaster or emergency is declared and this prevents an employee from reasonably attending work, or where it impacts their household or home, the Secretary will consider flexible working arrangements to assist the employee to perform their work.
  2. Where flexible working arrangements are not appropriate, the Secretary may grant paid miscellaneous leave to an employee with regard to the scale and nature of the emergency. This leave counts as service and may be approved retrospectively.
  3. In considering what period of leave is appropriate, the Secretary will take into account the safety of the employee, their family (including their household) and advice from local, State and Commonwealth authorities.