Fact: Most WA public servants are covered by the Public Sector CSA Agreement 2024. The WA Industrial Relations Commission registered it on 23 December 2024, and it expires on 12 June 2027. It replaced the Public Sector CSA Agreement 2022. Leave terms have been negotiated with unions under governments of both parties, and several of the types below were new in 2024. This page lists the main special leave types.
Leave types
| Leave | Who can take it | How much | National minimum (NES) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family and domestic violence leave | All public sector workers, including casuals | 10 days paid a year, not cumulative | 10 days paid |
| Reproductive health leave (new in 2024) | Permanent and fixed-term staff, pro rata for part-time; not casuals | 5 days paid a calendar year | No equivalent |
| Disability leave (new in 2024) | Full-time and part-time staff with disability, pro rata for part-time; not casuals | 10 days paid a calendar year | No equivalent |
| Cultural leave for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff | Up to 5 paid days a calendar year, for cultural and ceremonial obligations, events such as NAIDOC Week, Reconciliation Week or Coming of the Light, or Native Title matters | No equivalent |
| Public health emergency leave | Staff, including casuals, pro rata for part-time and casual staff | 20 paid days a year, usable only during a declared public health emergency or another agreed event | No equivalent |
| Compassionate leave for early pregnancy loss | Staff or their partners, including casuals | Up to 3 consecutive paid days each time | Compassionate leave, 2 days each time |
| Foster carer's leave | Staff providing foster, kinship or respite care, including casuals | 3 paid days a calendar year | No equivalent |
- Reproductive health leave covers conditions such as endometriosis and menopause symptoms, fertility treatment such as IVF, screening (including breast and prostate screening), and procedures such as hysterectomy and vasectomy.
- Gender affirmation leave is not in the 2024 agreement. The union sought 30 paid days a year plus 48 weeks unpaid. After the agreement was accepted, the union said it would "continue to push" for it.
- Other leave in the agreement and the awards it relies on includes cultural/ceremonial leave, blood and plasma donor leave, and emergency services and Defence reserves leave.
Sources:
- Public Sector CSA Agreement 2024 (clauses 28-30 and 43-46)
- Premier's Circular 2025/07 (family and domestic violence leave)
- CPSU/CSA reproductive health leave factsheet
- CPSU/CSA, new entitlements (disability leave)
- PSC, Cultural Considerations in the Workplace (cultural leave)
- CPSU/CSA gender affirmation leave claim (March 2024)
- PS News on the accepted offer
Use and cost
We found no published data on how many days of these leave types are taken, or what they cost. Neither the Public Sector Commission's workforce reports nor agency annual reports break them out.