Commonwealth Numbered Acts

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FAIR WORK ACT 2009 (NO. 28, 2009) - SECT 73

Pregnant employee may be required to take unpaid parental leave within 6 weeks before the birth

Employer may ask employee to provide a medical certificate

             (1)  If a pregnant employee who is entitled to unpaid parental leave (whether or not she has complied with section 74) continues to work during the 6 week period before the expected date of birth of the child, the employer may ask the employee to give the employer a medical certificate containing the following statements (as applicable):

                     (a)  a statement of whether the employee is fit for work;

                     (b)  if the employee is fit for work--a statement of whether it is inadvisable for the employee to continue in her present position during a stated period because of:

                              (i)  illness, or risks, arising out of the employee's pregnancy; or

                             (ii)  hazards connected with the position.

Note:          Personal information given to an employer under this subsection may be regulated under the Privacy Act 1988 .

Employer may require employee to take unpaid parental leave

             (2)  The employer may require the employee to take a period of unpaid parental leave (the period of leave ) as soon as practicable if:

                     (a)  the employee does not give the employer the requested certificate within 7 days after the request; or

                     (b)  within 7 days after the request, the employee gives the employer a medical certificate stating that the employee is not fit for work; or

                     (c)  the following subparagraphs are satisfied:

                              (i)  within 7 days after the request, the employee gives the employer a medical certificate stating that the employee is fit for work, but that it is inadvisable for the employee to continue in her present position for a stated period for a reason referred to in subparagraph (1)(b)(i) or (ii);

                             (ii)  section 81 does not apply to the employee.

Note:          If the medical certificate contains a statement as referred to in subparagraph (c)(i) and section 81 applies to the employee, the employee is entitled under that section to be transferred to a safe job, or to paid no safe job leave.

When the period of leave must end

             (3)  The period of leave must not end later than the earlier of the following:

                     (a)  the end of the pregnancy;

                     (b)  if the employee has given the employer notice of the taking of a period of leave connected with the birth of the child (whether it is unpaid parental leave or some other kind of leave)--the start date of that leave.

Special rules about the period of leave

             (4)  The period of leave:

                     (a)  is an exception to the rule that the employee must take her unpaid parental leave in a single continuous period (see subsection 71(2) or 72(2)); and

                     (b)  is an exception to the rules about when the employee's period of unpaid parental leave must start (see subsections 71(3) and (6), or subsection 72(3)).

Note:          The period of leave is unpaid parental leave and so comes out of the employee's entitlement to 12 months of unpaid parental leave under section 70.

             (5)  The employee is not required to comply with section 74 in relation to the period of leave.



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