Chronic Illness and Carer’s Leave
Claim
19. Improvements to working conditions, flexibility and support for staff with chronic illness and staff with caring responsibilities, including increasing personal leave
Details
Part 1 – Operation of Agreement
Definitions - New definitions for:
Carer (and ‘High Needs’ Carer)
Chronic illness
Immediate family
Neurodivergence
Reasonable adjustment
Part 2 – Employment Relationship and Related Matters
Professional Employee Workloads
Reference to Reasonable Adjustment Framework + Adjustment Passports and Carer Support Plans.
Academic Employee Workloads
Reference to Reasonable Adjustment Framework + Adjustment Passports and Carer Support Plans (in ‘principles’)
Reference to consideration to ROPE (within the scope of reasonable adjustments), (in ‘individual workload allocation’).
Part 5 – Hours and Work Patterns for Professional Employees
Flexible Work
Reference to Reasonable Adjustment Framework + Adjustment Passports and Carer Support Plans.
Provision for those with an Adjustment Passports and/or a Carer Support Plan to have minimum notice of 6 weeks for changes.
Part 7 – Leave Entitlements
Personal/Carer’s Leave
Expansion of caring responsibilities
Acknowledgement of complex/continuing responsibilities
Removal of evidence burden for those with Adjustment Passport and/or Carer Support Plan.
Carer Support Plan
12-month establishment framework for plans
Scope of plans
New Carer Support Coordinator role for centralised administration
Health Management Leave
New, additional 5 days of paid leave for those with a chronic illness, disability or ongoing health condition; or who is a high needs carer.
Removal of evidence burden for those with Adjustment Passport and/or Carer Support Plan.
Infusion Leave
New, additional 20 days of paid leave with a diagnosed chronic illness or disability who is required to undergo regular infusion-based treatment
Conditions for the leave
Removal of evidence burden for those with Adjustment Passport
Part 8 – Performance and Disciplinary Matters
Medical conditions affecting performance
Requirement to activate the new Reasonable Adjustment Framework (and Adjustment Passport) prior to medicalised exit
Part 9 – Management and Development Matters
Academic Employee Supervision
Regard for any Adjustment Passport and/or Carer Support Plan
12-month establishment framework to develop, in consultation with staff networks, and implement measures for inclusive supervision, recruitment and assessment
Professional Employee Supervision
Regard for any Adjustment Passport and/or Carer Support Plan
12-month establishment framework to develop, in consultation with staff networks, and implement measures for inclusive supervision, recruitment and assessment
Supervisor Training
12-month establishment framework to develop, in consultation with staff networks, and implement measures for inclusive supervision, recruitment and assessment
Annual Performance and Development Process for Professional Employees
Addition to objectives, to give reference to ROPE (within the scope of reasonable adjustments).
Annual performance and Development Process for Academic Employees
Addition to the clause on the consideration of achievements to give consideration to ROPE (within the scope of reasonable adjustments).
Reasonable Adjustment Framework
12-month joint establishment for a framework for more inclusive accommodations and reasonable adjustments.
After 2 years of implementation, a joint review of that framework (which will include the Adjustment Passport and Carer Support Plan schemes).
Adjustment Passport Scheme
12-month joint establishment of the scheme for those with disability, neurodivergence and/or chronic illness.
New Adjustment Coordinator role for centralised administration
Removal of medical evidence burden for those with an Adjustment Passport
Consultation on Organisational Chance and Redundancy
Consultation in relation to major organisational change and redundancy
Additional protections/time for consultation (10 days) for those with Adjustment Passport and/or Carer Support Plan
Presented on 22/4/26
Management Response
This claim was presented to management on 22/4/26. Members of UQ Carer’s and Chronic Illness group shared stories of issues with the existing options an the bargaining team delivered a presentation on how the passport system could work. Management indicated they were interested in exploring this claim but are waiting until other leave claims are table.
In the bargaining meeting on 27/5/26 management indicated they were in support of the passport with the proviso it is operationalised outside of the Enterprise Agreement, but indicated they were not in support of expanding the existing leave quantums. The bargaining team expressed it should be in the agreement because if it was not, it was not enforceable.