Annual Leave Liability

101 The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (3 December 2014). (First Session) For each department or agency then reporting to the minister—

1. What is the estimated annual leave liability as at 30 June 2014, in days and dollars?

2. What is the highest annual leave entitlement that has not been taken for any employee, as at 30 June 2014, in days and dollars?

3. (a) What funding, as at 30 June 2014, was held in accounts controlled or administered by the department or agency to fund annual leave; and

(b) What were the names of the accounts and total funds held in these accounts as at 30 June 2014?

4. (a) What policies, and monitoring of these policies, are in place to ensure that there is not a build-up of annual leave liability within the department or agency; and

(b) Are employees required to take annual leave after a certain level of entitlement has accrued?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Business Services and Consumers): The Premier has advised the following:

This response covers portions of the following portfolios the Department of the Premier and Cabinet reports to:

Premier

Attorney General

Minister for State Development

Minister for the Public Sector

The estimated annual leave liability as at 30 June 2014, as recorded in the department's 2013-14 Annual Report, is $12,316 million, which equates to 37,029 working days.

The highest long service leave entitlement that has not been taken for any employee, as at 30 June 2014, in working days is 91, and the employee with the highest long service leave entitlement in dollars is $0.067million.

The department has sufficient net assets to fund its liabilities including leave entitlements.

With respect to the granting of annual leave, the department adheres to the Commissioner for Public Sector Employment Determination 3.1: Employment Conditions – Leave. The department has policies in place to support this Determination.

The department's Leave Guideline states employees are entitled to a period of time away from the workplace for rest and recuperation during a service year. Employees should use their full entitlement of recreation leave each service year. An employee may seek approval to defer their recreational leave entitlement into the following service year. Employees may be directed to take recreational leave and should not accrue more than two year' entitlements, except in exceptional circumstances.