Queensland public sector nurses and midwives are now able to access 10 days paid reproductive leave, with the state setting the bar for the rest of the country to follow. 

Announced on Labour Day in May, the historic access to 10 days per annum (non-cumulative) paid reproductive health leave came into effect on Monday. More than 290,000 public sector workers in Queensland, including nurses and midwives, will be eligible to take paid leave to deal with a range of reproductive health issues. 

While Victoria, NSW and the ACT have provision for five days reproductive health leave, other Australian jurisdictions have none. 

The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) and the Queensland Council of Unions (QCU) were in Canberra recently to push for expansion of the National Employment Standards to provide access to 10 days paid reproductive health leave for workers as part of the unions’ It’s for Every Body reproductive health leave campaign. 

Australian unions are also calling for reproductive health to constitute a reason why workers can request flexible work arrangements under the Fair Work Act and a protected attribute to safeguard against discrimination. 

“Members across the union movement have been calling for the introduction of this type of leave because we know that how we manage reproductive health is an industrial matter, a work health and safety matter, and a community-wide issue,” said QCU General Secretary Jacqueline King. 

The broader union movement is calling for paid reproductive leave and flexible work arrangements in the National Employment Standards to ensure all workers get access to minimum standards, rather than be left to different workplaces to bargain for. 

“The Queensland Government has recently introduced 10 days paid reproductive leave and we want to see this introduced as a right for all workers across Australia,” said ACTU President Michele O’Neil. 

One in six Australia couples undergo fertility treatment and one in seven men are affected by prostate cancer. Data shows that women drop out of the workforce because of perimenopause and menopause earlier than men, impacting their earnings and retirement.  

Senate Inquiry supports paid reproductive health leave

Findings from the recent Senate Inquiry examining issues around menopause and perimenopause found Australian women are withdrawing from the labour market years before planned, with less retirement savings, because of a lack of workplace supports to address the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause, in particular. 

Queensland’s 10 days reproductive leave includes for fertility and IVF, preventative breast and prostate screening and treatment for conditions including menopause and endometriosis.  

“Ten days paid leave for reproductive health issues is a major win for Queensland’s largest, predominantly female workforce. We celebrate leave for menopause, preventative screening and other issues linked to reproductive health,” said Queensland Nurses and Midwives’ Union (QNMU) Secretary Sarah Beaman.  

Queensland’s paid reproductive health leave is designed to cover: 

• Fertility/IVF treatment for each parent. 

• Chronic reproductive health conditions (such as endometriosis, dysmenorrhoea, adenomyosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, and menopause symptoms) that require absence from the workplace, and the flexibility needed to manage symptoms at work. 

• Preventive screening associated with reproductive health, including breast and prostate screening (capped at four hours per year). 

• Treatment associated with reproductive health, including hysterectomy and vasectomy.  
  
  

The leave is non-cumulative and cannot be accrued from year to year.  

The Queensland Government Reproductive Health Leave Guidance for Health Professionals view here