Casual employment (Directive 08/20)
Summary
The Public Service Act 2008 (PS Act) establishes employment on tenure is the default basis of employment in the public service, excluding non-industrial instrument employees and sets out the circumstances where employment on tenure is not viable or appropriate.
This directive:
- highlights key sections in the PS Act dealing with the employment and conversion of casual employees
- provides for the circumstances in which employment on tenure or a fixed term temporary employee is not viable or appropriate
- sets out procedures for reviews and requirements for decisions.;
This directive has been updated to support the Review of public sector employment laws. The review was commissioned by the government to ensure Queenslanders have the most responsive, consistent and reliable public service possible.
What has changed in this directive?*
| What’s new? | Previous directive |
|---|---|
| Employee can request a conversion review after 12 months of continuous casual employment on a regular and systematic basis or a combination of casual and fixed term temporary employment. | An employee could only be eligible to request a review for conversion after a minimum of two years regular and systematic employment. |
| Employer obliged to conduct a mandatory conversion review after two years of continuous employment, and then annually if they remain continuously employed. | Decision making criteria was only provided for in the Directive 01/17. |
| Public Service Act 2008 sets out framework for review, conditions for conversion and definition of continuous employment. | Directive 01/17 provides some examples of appropriate and viable use of casual employment however this was not a legislative requirement. |
| Directive provides parameters for use of casual employment. This is addressed in the revised directive which includes examples of circumstances where casual employment is appropriate. | N/A |
| New appeal rights in relation to a two-year review and in relation to the hours of work offered for conversion to permanent employment. | N/A |
*Noting this directive is a replacement rather than an amendment because significant changes have been made to align with amendments to the Public Service Act 2008.