Can I be directed to take recreation leave?
It is an employee responsibility to maintain your recreation leave accrual below eight weeks (40 days) and the department is required to cooperate with this, by approving reasonable leave requests. (77.2.5).
You can be required to take recreation leave when you have accrued an ‘excess’ balance as defined by clause 77.2 of the Crown Employees (Conditions of Employment) Reviewed Award 2009.
The PSA encourages members to regularly take recreation leave for your own health and wellbeing.
At what stage can my Manager notify me that I am at the maximum leave balance?
Management should notify you in writing when your recreation leave accrual reaches six weeks (30 days) and may direct you to take at least two weeks’ recreation leave over a 3-month period from the time you are notified. (77.2.3)
Management should notify you in writing when your recreation leave accrual reaches eight weeks (40 days) and may direct you to take at least two weeks’ recreation leave within six weeks from the time you’ve been notified. (77.2.4)
In practice, once you have been notified, this should involve advising your manager of your plans to take leave during the period and ensuring it is at a suitable time to be approved.
Can my manager deny flex leave on the basis that I have excess recreation leave?
If your recreation leave accrual is at eight weeks and you don’t have an approved plan to reduce it then until you do, flex leave can be refused.
Where an employee has accrued 8 weeks’ recreation leave, unless otherwise authorised by their manager, flex leave can only be taken where recreation leave has been applied for and approved. If, however, recreation leave has been applied for and declined or not actioned by the manager, access to flex leave is still available. (10.5)
Your Performance Development Plan (PDP) and excess leave balance
Your PDP is a working document for both you and your manager to record commitments to current work priorities and projected training and professional development goals. If you are unsure what should go in your PDP you can request a template from HR.
Members have contacted the PSA to confirm whether their recreation leave balance is required to be in their PDP. Since the award sets out the requirements to which employer and employee should comply, there is no need for your leave balance to be recorded in your PDP.
Members are advised if a requirement to keep your recreation leave balance under thirty days is put in to your PDP by a manager, to add your own comment and initial it, confirming your leave balance will be as per the Crown Employees (Public Service Conditions of Employment) Award 2009 – clause 77.2.
To Contact the PSA
You can stay connected with the PSA through your local workplace delegates and your Organisers.
You can also raise individual and collective issues with the PSA by contacting our Member Support Centre on 1300 772 679 or by emailing
Not a member?
Go to www.psa.asn.au/join to sign up with the PSA. Remember, we are stronger together.