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International Sporting Leave for State Government Employees

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The Public Service Award 1992

The Public Service Award 1992 Clause 40 - International Sporting Leave states:

  1. Special leave with pay may be granted by the employer to an officer chosen to represent Australia as a competitor or official, at a sporting event, which meets the following criteria:
    • it is a recognised amateur sport of national significance; or
    • it is a world or international regional competition; and
    • no contribution is made by the sporting organization towards the normal salary of the officer.
  2. The employer shall make enquiries with the Department of Sport and Recreation:
    • whether the application meets the above criteria;
    • the period of leave to be granted.

Guidelines for Interpretation

  1. International sporting leave is made available to any Western Australian public service employee or government officer selected to represent Australia as a competitor, coach, manager or official regardless of any age categories, notwithstanding all other eligibility requirements.
  2. The event must be sanctioned by the recognised National Sporting Organisation (NSO) and be part of the International Federation (IF) calendar of events.
  3. The applicant must provide written advice from the NSO or IF of their selection for the event.
  4. The applicant must provide written evidence from the NSO that no contribution is made by the NSO toward their normal salary.
  5. Leave is not recommended if the applicant has chosen to represent Australia in a competition where they have qualified or nominated for the event but have not been selected by the NSO to represent Australia.
  6. Any amateur sport recognised by the Department of Sport and Recreation (DSR) as a WA state sporting association, or an affiliated body to the SSA, is deemed to be a sport of ‘national significance' for the purposes of the Award.
  7. A ‘world competition' may include Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, World Championships or World Cups.
  8. An ‘international regional competition' may be any event where at least four nations compete. This eliminates "Test" series between two countries or "tri-nation" events to better reflect the ‘regional' nature of the competition.
  9. DSR will advise the employing agency of the recommended period of paid leave to be granted. The recommended period of leave, taking into account the geographic location of the event is:
    • up to 5 days allowing for travel, acclimatisation and mandatory training prior to the competition;
    • the period of the competition; and
    • up to 2 days to return to place of residence.
  10. Specific population competitions such as Police and Firemen's Games are not recommended for approval as they do not meet the guidelines above. However, international sporting leave may be allowed under any special industrial provisions of the individual employing authority.

Note:

The decision to grant special leave with pay is at the discretion of the Director General/CEO of the employing agency of the applicant, taking into account the agency's operational requirements.

 

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