Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee, , 55:52 to 57:55
A review of enterprise bargaining agreements allowing staff to swap public holidays and the management of operational requirements on days like Anzac Day.
Topics: Workplace relations, Public service staffing
Speakers: Speaker 5, Tim Simpson, Tess Bishop, Mr. Tim Simpson, Ms. Tess Bishop
>> Thanks Kevin. >> Thank you chair. Um uh just going to um just want to ask about public holidays. Does the department have uh enterprise bargaining agreements in place whereby employees or contractors can choose to work on public
holidays? >> Well, Senator, under our EA, um the staff are able to swap out public holidays, but being a large operational department, um we have staff that are working, you know, 365 days of the year.
>> Okay. So um uh and they they relate to all public holidays including Christmas, Anzac Day, Australas. Um how many employees chose to work on Anzac Day last year like chose to work. It wouldn't have had to otherwise.
>> We we don't have that information because it's managed locally. It's a an agreement that you would put in place with your direct line manager. >> How many in CRA then? No, we don't. We don't collect it centrally.
>> Okay. What about Christmas last year? >> The same. So, some departments do. I've asked other departments question. They do, but you don't. >> We don't, Senator.
>> And Australia just happened. >> No, we don't. We don't collect it. >> I don't have that.
>> Um, okay. on those days for those parts of your uh uh uh department that wouldn't normally work on those public holidays. Um are people encouraged to
work from home? Senator, they're not encouraged to work from home. It's about the local arrangements. So I think as um Miss Bishop said, we are an operational organization. So there are support elements that probably would need to swap it out and work on a public holiday as you'd expect in particularly our bio security and potentially supporting our meat export workers. Um but they are not encouraged to work either from the office or home. As I said the arrangements are managed locally uh with their manager and it's got to meet the operational requirements of the