Central West Lifeline chief executive officer, Stephanie Robinson, welcomed the NSW government decision to provide 10 days paid domestic violence leaves to all public sector employees in the state.

The NSW government move is expected to benefit more than 20,000 public sector employees in the Central West, which includes the Bathurst and Orange local government areas, and the Far West and Orana region that includes cities like Dubbo.

Central West, and Far West and Orana are among the top five regions with highest rates of domestic violence incidents in the state.

Ms Robinson said all workplaces should have similar leave allowances.

“Unfortunately we live in a world where it is necessary,” she said.

“We should do everything to support anybody who is affected by domestic family violence, be it man or woman.”

Ms Robinson believes that the private sector should also follow this practice.

“One should not be discriminated because of employment in public or private sector. It is a human right to live free from violence,” she said.

“People should be getting the same opportunities to take time out from their employment if the need arises.”

Ms Robinson said it would be hard on small businesses to provide paid leaves.

“It might not be a legal obligation on them. I think they should have a moral and duty of care obligation and that would be a beneficial thing to offer,” she said

Member for Bathurst Paul Toole said the introduction of paid domestic violence leave will be a great help to the needing NSW public sector employees.

“These leave provisions will enable employees to seek safe housing, attend medical or legal appointments, or make other necessary arrangements, without using up other leave,” Mr Toole said.

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On Thursday, Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence Pru Goward announced the new domestic violence leave policy, stating that the NSW public sector employees, including teachers, nurses and police, will be able to avail up to 10 days paid leave from next year.

"This is 10 days of paid leave that will enable people escaping domestic violence to attend court, to turn up to court without fear of losing income, to be able to negotiate new housing, new schools for their children," she said.

Currently, the NSW public sector employees are entitled to five days leave once they have exhausted all other leave entitlements.

The NSW government was under pressure after Labor opposition introduced a Bill into NSW Parliament last month to legislate for a 10-day paid domestic violence leave to private and public sector employees.

Federal Parliament is also considering a similar Bill to provide five days unpaid family and domestic violence leave to all employees under the Fair Work Act, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Mark Morey, the secretary of Unions NSW, which is a peak body for trade unions in the state, said their We Wont Wait campaign has won 10 days domestic violence leave for public sector workers.

“NSW was the last state government to introduce an entitlement for their employees. The federal government is now isolated in their opposition for 10 days paid leave,” Mr Morey said.

“Unions NSW is calling on the Federal Government to put 10 days paid leave in the National Employment Standards,” he said.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, there were an estimated 3,861,383 employed persons in NSW in June 2017.

The NSW public sector accounted for 10.2 per cent of these, a drop of 0.1 percentage points from June 2016.

Data showed the number and proportion of non-casual women in the NSW public sector has been increasing for more than a decade, up from 59.5 per cent in 2007 to 64.6 per cent in 2017.

This story Regional public sector employees to get 10 days paid domestic violence leave first appeared on Western Advocate.

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Nyngan Observer

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