All employees are eligible for long service leave after 10 years of continuous employment. Service includes time as a fixed-term employee, as well as time on probation.
Continuous employment means service that has not been interrupted by a break in employment from the State Service. Employment is still regarded as continuous where an employee takes any period of:
- long service leave
- recreation leave or sick leave
- any other period of approved leave of absence
- any period of absence of up to three years from duty so long as during that absence the employee is in receipt of a pension under the Retirement Benefits Act 1993
- any period of absence of up to 12 months from duty arising from redundancy or standing down so long as the employee is re-employed within that 12 months after being made redundant or stood down
- any period of absence of up to 12 months from duty because of ill-health so long as the employee is re-employed within that 12 months after ceasing employment and is not entitled to a pension under the Retirement Benefits Act 1993.
The continuous employment of an employee is not interrupted if the employee is appointed or transferred to another position in the employment of the state so long as the employee commences duty in that position within a period of three months after being so appointed or transferred.
The continuous employment of an employee is interrupted if:
- an employee resigns or retires and is re-employed 3 months or more after resigning or retiring
- a period of three months or more occurs between periods of employment of that person.
