Millions of Australian workers now have access to paid family and domestic violence leave, in a move that will ‘save lives’.

Full-time, part-time and casual employees can now access 10 days of paid family and domestic violence leave in a 12 month period. It replaces the previous five days of unpaid family and domestic violence leave.

“No woman should ever have to choose between her job and her safety,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.

“No woman should ever have to pick between her financial security and the physical and emotional wellbeing of herself or of her children.”

How does Paid Family And Domestic Violence Leave work?

The leave will be available to any employee who is experiencing violent, threatening or other abusive behaviour from a close relative, a current or former intimate partner or a member of their household that is trying to coerce or control them or cause them fear or harm.

A close relative is an employee’s spouse or former spouse, de facto partner or former de facto partner, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild or sibling.

It also includes:

• a child, parent, grandparent, grandchild or sibling of an employee’s current or former spouse or de fact partner, or
• a person related to the employee according to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander kinship rules.

The full 10 day entitlement will be available upfront, you won’t need to accumulate it from year to year if it hasn’t been used.

The leave is available now for employees of businesses with 15 or more employees. From August it’ll be available for employees working for a business that employs less than 15 employees.

You are able to take this leave if you need to do something to deal with the impact of family and domestic violence, for example:

• making arrangements for their safety, or the safety of a close relative (including relocation)
• attending court hearings
• accessing police services
• attending counselling
• attending appointments with medical, financial or legal professionals.

“The measure will allow victims of family violence to take time off work without losing income and without losing their jobs,” said Employment and Workplace Relations Minister Tony Burke said.

“Workers should never have to choose between their safety and wages. Paid family and domestic violence leave is a workplace entitlement that will save lives.”