- Minister for Industrial Relations
New reforms giving early childhood and disability workers the ability to carry their long service benefits with them from job to job could kick in from as early as January next year.
They would follow workers in the community service, contract cleaning and security industries, who are set to access portable long service benefits from 1 July 2019, thanks to the Andrews Labor Government.
The timelines are set out in the draft regulations for the Long Service Benefits Portability Act 2018, which are now open for public consultation.
Under the laws, they will be able to transfer their long service leave or other benefits after working in their industry for seven years, irrespective of the number of employers they work for over that time.
The draft regulations cover four main topics:
- The definition of community services and clarification around jobs and roles that are included in the Scheme
- Double Dipping – ensuring that workers are not able to claim more than one entitlement for the same period of service
- Quarterly Returns – clarifying the process of submitting information for the quarterly return
- Information sharing – facilitating arrangements with other agencies
A Regulatory Impact Statement, looking at how this legislation will impact businesses, employers and workers in all the relevant sectors, will also be published.
Portable long service comes after a parliamentary committee found that workers in these industries often did the same work, in the same place, for many years, without qualifying for long service entitlements.
To read the regulations, visit engage.vic.gov.au.
As stated by Minister for Industrial Relations Tim Pallas
“We’re changing the laws to make things fairer for some of our hardest working Victorians – Victorians who have worked years in the same job, in the same place without being able to accrue long service benefits.”
“We want to hear from employers and workers who’ll be affected, so we can ensure the regulations work for everyone.”
