Christmas/New Year Period

With the upcoming Christmas and New Year break, we wish to provide reminders to members so they can enter the holiday season with confirmation of entitlements, awareness of policy/ procedures, and contacts for support should they need.

Pay Matters

We remind members that there will be no change to scheduled paydays over the Christmas/New Year period. However, please note the following timeframes need to be met if allowances and penalties are to be paid.

Pay day 22nd December 2022:

  • Amendments to DFAT Allotments need to be received by 4pm AEDST Monday 12th December
  • Time recording entries need to be entered and approved by 5pm AEDST Sunday 18th December
  • All entries actioned by roster clerks/Quintiq need to be completed by 5pm AEDST Sunday 18th December
  • On-Call entries need to be entered and approved by 5pm AEDST Sunday 18th December

Pay day 5th January 2023:

  • Amendments to DFAT Allotments need to be received by 12 noon AEDST Friday 16th December
  • Time recording entries need to be entered and approved by 5pm AEDST Monday 2nd January
  • All entries actioned by roster clerks/Quintiq need to be completed by 5pm AEDST Monday 2nd January
  • On-Call entries need to be entered and approved by 5pm AEDST Monday 2nd January

Any changes to pay bank details should be made in Insight by Friday 16th December (for Pay 13) or Thursday 22nd December (for Pay 14), it is recommended that if changing bank details that accounts are not closed until after your pay is successfully transferred to the new account.

Public Holidays

As per the EA, the following days are deemed Designated Public Holidays during the Christmas/New Year period:

  • 25 December 2022 (Christmas Day);
  • 26 Christmas 2022 (Boxing Day);
  • 27 December 2022 (Public Holiday in lieu of Christmas Day);
  • 28 December 2022 (first working day after Boxing Day Public Holiday);
  • 29 – 30 December 2022 (two normal Working Days between Christmas and New Year); and
  • 2 January 2023 (New Year’s Day in lieu).

Required to Work?

If members are required to work on any of the above dates as part of their Normal Working Hours, they will receive an additional Base Hourly Rate for each hour worked. In addition, those hours will either:

  • Count toward the Three-Month Averaging Period or Roster Period; or
  • If the member works less than the hours expected, the expected hours will count towards the Three-Month Averaging Period or Roster Period.

On a Rest Day?

If members assigned to the Rostered Operations working pattern are on a Rest Day on any of the above dates, they will receive an additional 8 hours at the Base Salary Hourly Rate (maximum of 10 occurrences per Financial Year).

When does a Public Holiday penalty not apply?

If members are on leave immediately before and/or after a Public Holiday, and would be unable to be rostered for duty or unable to return to work if required, the additional penalty payment will not be paid.

Similarly, if members are on a period of Stand Down on a Public Holiday, the additional penalty payment will not be paid.

Higher Duties

Over the Christmas and New Year period, many members will take leave. As such, opportunities for Higher Duties may become available to assist with the continuity of operational requirements.

If members performed Higher Duties over the Christmas and New Year period, it is important to understand what their entitlements are during that period.

Annual leave taken during periods of Higher Duties, including leave taken for Christmas and the New Year period, will be paid at the Higher Duties Allowances rate as long as the Higher Duties period commenced prior to and continues after the leave.

Example: A member commences Higher Duties on 22 December 2022 and is scheduled to continue this role until 4 January 2023. Between 25 December 2022 and 28 December 2022, the member has leave scheduled. This period of 4 days will be paid at the Higher Duties Allowance rate.

Public Holiday rates will be paid to members performing Higher Duties between Band 2 and 8. For members performing Higher Duties at Executive Level or SES, Higher Duties Allowance is not paid.

Outside of the above, standard Higher Duties conditions and requirements apply as set out in section 29 of the EA.

AFPA Shut Down

The AFPA office will be shut from 4:30pm on Friday 23 December 2021 and re-open on Tuesday 3 January 2023. If you have an urgent matter during this period, please call our office number on (02) 6285 1677 and your call will be redirected to the Legal Industrial team.

We have notified Professional Standards and Welfare of our contact details over this period as well, should anything arise.

We hope everyone has an enjoyable and safe time over this period and we look forward to working with you in 2023.