LESSON 1 OF 5
WHO WE ANSWER TO.
Sunnysights is a registered NDIS provider whose workforce is 99% SCHADS-covered. HR sits at the crossing point of two regulators — the NDIS Commission and Fair Work — and every HR decision must satisfy both:
NDIS PRACTICE STANDARDS — HR MANAGEMENT
Each participant's needs met by workers who are competent, qualified and experienced. We must document skills per position, keep pre-employment check records, run orientation and induction, plan and evaluate training, supervise, and manage performance.
NDIS PRACTICE STANDARDS — CONTINUITY OF SUPPORT
Every participant has timely, appropriate support without interruption. In worker absence, a suitably qualified person performs the role — the workforce you build and roster IS the continuity plan.
FAIR WORK ACT & THE NES
The Fair Work Act 2009 and the National Employment Standards set the floor: leave, notice, redundancy, casual rules, record keeping, unfair dismissal protections. No contract or policy can go below them.
SCHADS AWARD [MA000100]
The Social, Community, Home Care and Disability Services Industry Award sets pay, classifications, hours, penalties, sleepovers and rosters for nearly all our workers. Modules 2–3 live here.
ALSO ON YOUR DESK
NDIS Worker Screening Rules (clearances before work starts) · the NDIS Code of Conduct (binds every worker, office included) · Queensland law — our agreements are governed by QLD law, and QLD rules apply to long service leave and working with children.
WHY IT'S ONE JOB — a roster that breaches SCHADS is a Fair Work problem AND an NDIS audit problem. A missing screening clearance is a Commission problem AND a personnel-file problem. In this business, HR compliance and service quality are the same thing.
LESSON 2 OF 5
THE HIERARCHY OF RULES.
When documents disagree, there's a strict order of authority. Our own contracts say it themselves: if an industrial instrument is inconsistent with the agreement, the instrument wins unless the agreement is more favourable to the employee.
1 · LEGISLATION — FAIR WORK ACT & THE NES
The absolute floor. Nothing can contract below it — not the award, not our agreements, not a handshake.
2 · THE SCHADS AWARD
Sets the minimums for our industry. Our contracts are subject to it — award provisions apply over any less favourable contract term.
3 · EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENTS
Our Casual and PPT agreements — can improve on the award, never undercut it. Schedule 1 carries the specifics: status, hours, classification, rate.
4 · POLICIES, HANDBOOK & INTERNAL RULES
The HR Management Policy, Employee Handbook and Internal Rostering Rules operationalise everything above. They don't form part of the contract — and each policy deems itself amended wherever it would breach the law.
YOUR RULE OF THUMB — when in doubt, the Award or legislation always wins. If an internal document is found to be inconsistent, follow the law, then raise the document for review through the Continuous Improvement Register — that's how a registered NDIS provider keeps its documentation audit-ready.
LESSON 3 OF 5
RECORDS & REGISTERS.
HR compliance is evidenced, not asserted. Fair Work Inspectors and NDIS auditors both read records. Every employee record must be legible, in English, kept for seven years, never altered except to correct an error, and readily accessible:
Personnel files — one per worker: recruitment records, position description, pre-employment checks, contract, pay, performance, training. Confidential — access limited to the worker, the Principal, KMP and payroll.
Pay & hours records — rate paid, gross/net and deductions, every loading, penalty and allowance separately identified; overtime hours; copies of any TOIL, averaging, leave-in-advance or cash-out agreements. Payslips within one working day of pay day.
Leave & super records — leave taken and balances; super contributions, dates, periods, fund, and the employee's fund election. Employees elect a fund within 2 weeks of starting, or we elect a complying fund.
The HR Role Register — every Risk Assessed Role (title, why it qualifies, date assessed, who assessed it) and every worker in one (name, DOB, address, screening application/clearance numbers, expiry, any suspension). New or reclassified roles go on the list within 20 business days.
Termination records — how employment ended (consent, notice, summary or other), notice given, and who terminated it.
THE HR MINDSET — if a Fair Work Inspector arrived tomorrow, could you produce any worker's file, pay history and screening status in minutes? That's the standard your filing works to.
LESSON 1 OF 6
COVERAGE & CLASSIFICATIONS.
The SCHADS Award [MA000100] covers the social and community services, home care, crisis accommodation and family day care sectors. Every Sunnysights worker sits in a classification stream, at a level, on a pay point — that trio drives every dollar we pay:
SOCIAL & COMMUNITY SERVICES (SACS)
Levels 1–8, most with 3–4 pay points. Our support workers, team leaders and coordinators typically classify here — most disability support work sits at Levels 2–3.
HOME CARE — DISABILITY CARE
Levels 1–5 for care delivered in a person's home. Its own minimum engagements, 24-hour care provisions and rates — don't mix it up with SACS.
CRISIS ACCOMMODATION
Levels 1–4 — a separate stream with its own rates for crisis assistance and supported housing work.
PAY POINT PROGRESSION
After 12 months' continuous employment, a worker moves to the next pay point if competent and satisfactory. HR tracks anniversaries — a missed progression is an underpayment.
NEVER QUOTE RATES FROM MEMORY
Rates change every 1 July with the annual wage review. Always work from the current Fair Work Ombudsman pay guide for MA000100 (kept in the SCHADS folder). The classification and pay point are yours to get right; the dollar figure is always looked up fresh.
CLASSIFICATION IS AN HR DECISION — set against the position description and the work actually performed, recorded in Schedule 1 of the agreement, and reviewed when duties change. Under-classifying is wage underpayment.
LESSON 2 OF 6
HOURS, BREAKS & MINIMUMS.
The award's time rules are where most SCHADS breaches happen. The numbers to know cold:
38 / 76
Ordinary hours: 38 per week, 76 per fortnight. Our rosters cap support workers under 76 a fortnight and 10 consecutive hours to stay clear of overtime.
6AM – 8PM
The day-worker span. Shifts finishing after 8pm (to midnight) attract afternoon shift loading; finishing after midnight or starting before 6am is night shift.
MINIMUM ENGAGEMENTS
Per attendance: SACS 3 hours (disability services work 2 hours), home care 1 hour, all others 2 hours. Our internal standard: no shift under 2 hours.
REST BETWEEN SHIFTS
10 consecutive hours off between shifts. Break the rest and 200% applies until the break is taken — then 10 hours off without loss of pay.
BREAKS & DAYS OFF
Unpaid meal break of 30–60 min after 5 hours (overtime rates if worked through); paid 10-minute tea break each 4 hours; two full days off per week (or 4 per fortnight), consecutive where possible.
ROSTER NOTICE
Fortnightly rosters posted at least 2 weeks ahead; 7 days' notice of changes — an employee-proposed, agreed shift swap can move faster.
PARTICIPANT CANCELS? — if a participant cancels a home care or disability shift within 7 days, we can redirect the worker to other work in the rostered hours, pay out the shift, or allocate make-up time — the worker must not simply lose the pay.
LESSON 3 OF 6
PENALTIES, ALLOWANCES & SPECIAL SHIFTS.
Base rate is only the beginning — a support worker's pay is assembled from loadings, penalties and allowances. Your job is knowing which apply when, and checking current figures in the pay guide:
Penalties & loadings — Saturday 150%, Sunday 200%, public holiday 250% (casuals add their 25% loading on top); afternoon and night shift loadings inside the week; overtime 150% then 200%.
Sleepovers — a per-night sleepover allowance; a separate room, bed and clean linen; minimum 1 hour overtime if woken to work; minimum 4 hours' paid work if rostered immediately before or after. (The June 2026 structure is next lesson.)
Broken shifts — two work periods with one unpaid break can be rostered; THREE periods (two unpaid breaks) only by agreement. Each variant has its own allowance, the whole shift fits a 12-hour span — disability and home care work only.
Expense allowances — vehicle per-km, uniform and laundry, meal (overtime), first aid, on-call, remote work minimums, travel reimbursement. Every allowance shows as its own line on the payslip.
TOIL & leave loading — time off instead of overtime pay only by written agreement, at the penalty-equivalent amount, taken within 3 months. Annual leave is paid at the HIGHER of 17.5% leave loading or the penalties the roster would have earned.
OFFSET ISN'T A FREE PASS — our agreements let above-award pay absorb award entitlements "to the maximum extent permitted by law". That never means ignoring the award — pay must still be reconciled so no worker receives less overall than SCHADS would give them.
LESSON 4 OF 6
THE JUNE 2026 SLEEPOVER CHANGES.
From the first full pay period on or after 1 June 2026, the Fair Work Commission changed how sleepover shifts are structured, paid and assessed for overtime. This is current law, and every Sunnysights roster must be designed to it:
ONE CONTINUOUS SHIFT
Work before and after a sleepover is now a single shift for hours and overtime — never two shifts split by the sleepover or by midnight.
EXTENDED HOURS ONLY BY AGREEMENT
With a written agreement, ordinary hours on a sleepover shift can extend to 12 (max 8 on either side — e.g. 8+4 or 6+6). Without one, the default caps apply. HR holds these agreements on file.
OVERTIME PER DAY OR PER SHIFT
Part-time and casual overtime applies after 10 hours per day or per shift (12 with an extended-hours agreement). Shifts spanning midnight are assessed as one shift, not split across calendar days.
A SLEEPOVER IS NOT A BREAK
The minimum 10-hour break between shifts is measured from the end of WORK, not the end of the sleepover. Rosters that used the sleepover to satisfy the gap must be restructured to comply with the Award.
LOADINGS PER SIDE
Each side of the sleepover is assessed for shift loadings against the time of day it actually falls in — afternoon loading before, possibly no loading the next morning.
HR'S CHECKLIST — review sleepover rosters against the new caps · confirm written extended-hours agreements exist where needed · re-check midnight-spanning shifts · verify break gaps don't rely on sleepovers · brief the scheduling team. Our payroll system applies the calculations automatically, but the roster design is ours.
LESSON 1 OF 5
PPT — THE PROMISE.
Permanent part-time = a promise. You are promising a minimum number of paid hours every week, agreed in writing — and the business must keep that promise however the roster falls. Use PPT when ALL of these are true:
The participant support is ongoing and predictable, the role exists week to week, and the same days/times are worked most weeks.
You can guarantee at least 8 hours a week (best practice 12–16+), and continuity of care matters — SIL, regular community access.
Once agreed: guaranteed hours rostered every week, shifts at least 2 hours, additional hours are optional for the employee, and changes to days/times only by consultation and agreement in writing.
THE MINIMUM HOURS GUIDE (INTERNAL STANDARD)
0–7 hours/week → Casual · 8–11 hours → Casual or PPT (HR approval) · 12–20 hours → PPT preferred · 20+ hours → PPT. Before you commit, ask: can I guarantee these hours every week? Are the days mostly fixed? Would this still exist in 3 months? Any "no" → casual.
PROHIBITED PRACTICES
PPT contracts worded "up to X hours per week" · PPT staff rostered some weeks but not others without agreement · reducing PPT hours without consultation · using PPT to dodge casual loading on irregular hours · casual-looking rosters labelled PPT. Misclassification means Fair Work disputes, back-pay and audit risk. If in doubt, escalate before rostering.
LESSON 2 OF 5
CASUAL — THE FLEXIBILITY.
Casual = flexibility, priced in. No firm advance commitment to ongoing work, no guaranteed hours, and a 25% loading compensating for annual leave, personal leave, notice, redundancy and public holidays not worked. Employment legally ends at the end of every shift:
USE CASUAL WHEN
Hours are irregular or unpredictable · backfill, hospital cover, short-notice shifts · funding uncertain or temporary · under 8 hours a week · hours vary week to week.
THE GENUINE RIGHT TO REFUSE
A casual may accept, reject or vary any offered shift — that discretion is what makes them casual. Refusing a particular PARTICIPANT without proper justification is different: remind them of contractual obligations and notify management.
OUR OFFER RULES
Shifts within 1 hour or 60 km of the worker's home (beyond that, case by case) · complex-care participants only get workers trained on their needs · minimum engagement periods still apply to every shift.
INCENTIVES & LIMITATIONS
Good availability earns more hours, employee-of-the-month recognition, and eventually a PPT offer. Repeated no-notice cancellations, unjustified refusals, boundary-crossing or false "active awake" logging → report to management.
THE CASUAL POOL
Our goal is never to need agency workers. Continuously onboard support workers into our own casual pool — it lightens rostering, reduces participant risk, and gives flexibility when supports change fast. Needing agency cover is the signal of a workforce gap.
THE LINE NOT TO CROSS — casuals must not be rostered into permanent-style fixed patterns long-term. A "casual" with the same guaranteed-looking pattern for months is a misclassification claim waiting to happen — and triggers conversion rights (Module 9).
LESSON 3 OF 5
ROSTERING RULES & WAGE CONTROL.
HR doesn't build every roster, but HR owns the rules rosters must obey. Priority for shifts goes to PPT staff first — that's how we honour guaranteed hours — then the casual pool:
Under 76 hours a fortnight per support worker, no more than 10 consecutive hours, minimum 2-hour shifts, rosters published at least 2 weeks ahead and shared with Team Leaders.
Sleepovers — minimum 8 hours; any work during one is at least 1 hour of overtime; work immediately before or after pays at least 4 hours; general house shifts run 6am–2pm, 2pm–10pm, 10pm–6am (sleepover). Design against the June 2026 rules from Module 2.
Systems discipline — complete participant and worker profiles (compliances, engagement details, service dates) in the rostering system, onboarding through its workflow, and roster changes communicated with sufficient notice through the platform.
THE WAGE CONTROL FRAMEWORK
PPT is the default for core SIL coverage · casuals are for backfill · no unfunded hours are to be worked · overtime and penalties require approval · rosters must align with funded supports. Non-negotiables: award compliance, participant safety and dignity, accurate record keeping.
CIRCUMSTANCES CHANGE? — funding drops, a participant exits, hours shrink: never change rosters unilaterally. Escalate to HR/Operations and manage it lawfully — consultation, agreement, and if necessary the formal variation or redundancy processes.
LESSON 1 OF 5
BEFORE YOU ADVERTISE.
Recruitment starts with paper, not people. Selection is merit-based — the best candidate identified through CV, interviews, reference checks and the selection criteria — and it only works if the role is properly defined first:
THE POSITION DESCRIPTION
Every role has one: primary functions, responsibilities and performance indicators, essential and desirable skills/knowledge/qualifications, scope and limitations — AND the screening checks required (100 points ID, right to work, NDIS screening, orientation module, infection control).
THE ADVERTISEMENT
Position title, a summary of the PD, how to apply, contact for enquiries, closing date. Advertise through relevant media, sector channels and agencies as appropriate.
WHEN NOT TO ADVERTISE EXTERNALLY
Short-duration positions; where delay would threaten continuity of supports or compliance; or where a suitable internal candidate is identified.
EVERY APPLICANT, ACKNOWLEDGED
All applications are formally acknowledged in writing, all enquiries and interviews are confidential, and everything gathered lands on the recruitment file.
WHY THE PD MATTERS TWICE — it drives selection now, and it's the yardstick for classification, probation, supervision and performance management later. A weak PD makes every later HR conversation harder.
LESSON 2 OF 5
INTERVIEWS & SELECTION.
A defensible selection is a documented one. The pattern:
SHORTLIST — 3 TO 5 WHERE PRACTICAL
Candidates meeting the essential skills, knowledge and experience are offered interviews; near-misses on desirables may be included depending on the field. A phone screen (with its checklist) can filter first.
INTERVIEW — RATE AGAINST CRITERIA
Interviewees are rated against the essential criteria and role-relevant questions, by a selection panel, with each candidate's assessment recorded — criteria met yes/no, comments, panel rating.
RECOMMEND — ONE DOCUMENTED OUTCOME
The panel's recruitment report records the ad, the field, the shortlist, each assessment, the referee outcomes and the recommended candidate — with appointment type, commencement date and level.
OFFER — REMUNERATION AGREED UP FRONT
Successful interviewees get written acknowledgement and the Pre-Employment Collection Form; the remuneration package is agreed at or before the offer — never left vague until the first payslip.
INTERVIEW FAIRLY — questions relate to the inherent requirements of the role. A criminal record is not an automatic barrier — candidates are invited to discuss its relevance. Medical questions exist to enable reasonable adjustments, not to screen people out.
LESSON 3 OF 5
REFERENCES & PRE-EMPLOYMENT.
Between "you're our pick" and "here's your first shift" sits the paper trail that protects participants:
Reference checks — before commencement, for ALL workers, not just permanent staff. Use the structured form: role and duration, performance, supervision needs, the role's competencies demonstrated, "would you re-employ?", anything we should know. Record who checked and when.
Qualifications verified — candidates provide satisfactory evidence of qualifications and experience; sighted, copied to file.
Identity & right to work — 100 points of ID (primary + secondary, with photo and signature) and a document proving the right to work in Australia. Working holiday makers have their own registration paperwork.
The Pre-Employment Collection Form — employment preferences, licences, screening status, qualifications, secondary employment, criminal history and medical disclosures, plus the privacy collection statement and consent to reference checks and any testing.
FALSE OR MISSING INFORMATION — the agreements warrant that all representations about qualifications and experience are true; false or misleading information (including on medical capacity) can make the contract liable to termination. Screening clearances — the hard gate — are Module 5.
LESSON 1 OF 5
RISK ASSESSED ROLES.
Worker screening obligations hang off one definition. A role is Risk Assessed if it is any of:
KEY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL
The Principal, directors, CEO-level roles — anyone within s 11A of the NDIS Act.
DIRECT DELIVERY
Anyone directly delivering specified supports or services to a person with disability — every support worker.
MORE THAN INCIDENTAL CONTACT
Physically touching participants, building rapport as a normal part of duties, or contact with multiple participants in specialist settings.
THE REGISTER OBLIGATION
Each Risk Assessed Role is recorded in the HR Role Register: title, which limb of the definition applies, a description, the date assessed, and who assessed it. When a new role is identified or an existing one reclassified, the register is amended within 20 business days.
GREY AREAS — a roster officer who builds rapport with participants by phone, an office admin who visits houses: assess the actual contact, not the job title. When in doubt, treat the role as risk assessed and document the reasoning.
LESSON 2 OF 5
THE CLEARANCE RULES.
The hardest gate in HR — and the one an auditor will test first:
Clearance BEFORE work — every worker in a Risk Assessed Role holds an NDIS worker screening clearance, and Sunnysights VERIFIES it, before they commence work with NDIS participants. If the candidate ran the check themselves, we still verify it ourselves.
Working with Children Check — any worker in a Risk Assessed Role working with minors also holds a WWCC (QLD Blue Card) or a valid exemption under state legislation.
Contractors — before a contractor-supplied worker enters a risk assessed role: identify each risk assessed role to the contractor, hold an appropriate contract meeting s 5A of the Worker Screening Rules, and take reasonable steps to confirm the clearance. Keep the contract, the steps taken, and any misconduct allegations on record.
Track the life of the clearance — application reference, clearance number, expiry, and any suspension or revocation live in the HR Role Register. Clearances run about five years: diarise renewals months ahead so no one works cleared-yesterday, lapsed-today.
NO CLEARANCE, NO SHIFT — NO EXCEPTIONS
An "in progress" application, a buddy shift, an urgent vacancy — none of them substitute for a verified clearance in a Risk Assessed Role. Rostering an uncleared worker is a registration-level breach, not an admin slip.
LESSON 3 OF 5
MANDATORY TRAINING GATES.
Screening proves a worker is safe; training proves they're competent. The training system identifies, plans, facilitates, records and evaluates — and these are its non-negotiables:
BEFORE / AT COMMENCEMENT
The mandatory NDIS Worker Orientation Program and infection control training — plus induction covering the NDIS Practice Standards, the Code of Conduct, our registration conditions and the policies relevant to the role.
CONTRACT-REQUIRED CERTIFICATES
Per the agreements: police check / NDIS screening, first aid, any mandated vaccinations, current driver licence where driving, professional registration where applicable, WWCC for work with minors — maintained for the life of employment.
ONGOING — 10 HOURS CPD
Workers not already under professional CPD obligations complete at least 10 hours of professional development per year of service, plus mandatory refresher training (NDIS Practice Standards, infection control, participant rights). All recorded in the Training and Development Register.
WORKER COMPETENCY
Specific tasks require a worker trained and assessed as competent by a suitably skilled assessor — complex care participants only get workers trained on their needs. Competency records gate the roster.
EXTERNAL TRAINING RULES — approved external training is usually in paid time; if we agree to fund it, receipts are reimbursed; cancellation fees sit with the worker if they pull out; exam results are shared with us and failed exams are re-sat at the worker's expense. Both sides evaluate every session.
LESSON 1 OF 5
THE ORIENTATION PACK.
At or before commencement, every new employee receives the full orientation pack. Issue it complete — a missing item now is a missing signature at audit time:
The position description — the worker agrees in the Worker Declarations to perform its duties.
The Pre-Employment Collection Form (if not already provided) — including secondary employment disclosure.
The Worker Declarations — confidentiality, conflicts, policies and the NDIS Code of Conduct (next lesson).
The Staff Induction Checklist — the working record that every induction step happened, signed both ways.
The Worker's Training and Development Register — seeded with the mandatory items from Module 5.
The employment agreement or offer letter — the right template (Casual or PPT), Schedule 1 complete: status, position, hours, classification, rate.
The Policies of Sunnysights — plus the Employee Handbook, the Fair Work Information Statement, and for casuals the Casual Employment Information Statement.
THE STATEMENTS ARE LAW, NOT COURTESY — the Fair Work Information Statement goes to every new employee, and the Casual Employment Information Statement to every new casual (with re-issues at set intervals). Build them into the pack so they can never be missed.
LESSON 2 OF 5
DECLARATIONS & INDUCTION.
Induction familiarises the worker with our purpose, operations and expectations — and produces signed evidence. The Worker Declarations are the centrepiece; a supervisor counter-signs that each declaration was identified and addressed:
CONFIDENTIALITY
The worker acknowledges unauthorised disclosure of participant, staff or business information breaches the Privacy and Dignity Policy, and undertakes to keep all personal and organisational information confidential.
CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
Every matter or interest that could affect (or appear to affect) how they deliver services is declared — or NIL — with an ongoing duty to disclose new conflicts in writing immediately.
POLICIES — CORE & SPECIALIST
Receipt of the full policy suite (rights, privacy, incidents, complaints, WHS and more), plus specialist modules where relevant — high-intensity supports and behaviour support plans — with responsibility to apply them daily.
THE NDIS CODE OF CONDUCT
Respect for rights, privacy, safe and competent delivery, integrity and transparency, raising quality and safety concerns promptly, preventing violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation and sexual misconduct.
SECONDARY EMPLOYMENT — confirmed at induction and kept up to date for every worker; it's an NDIS quality indicator and matters for fatigue, conflicts and rostering. If a worker won't make the declarations, we may not be permitted to continue the engagement.
LESSON 3 OF 5
SHADOWING, PROBATION & PAY SETUP.
The first weeks decide whether a hire becomes a safe, confident worker:
Shadowing — to the extent practicable, each worker in a new role shadows an experienced worker in the same or similar position for the first two weeks (buddy shifts), with close supervision continuing through probation until the Principal or KMP are confident in their delivery.
Probation — performance and conduct appraised and monitored; the employer may confirm, extend, remediate or end employment during the period. The handbook notes casuals have no probation (their engagement ends each shift), and full capability/disciplinary procedures may not apply during probation.
Pay setup — fortnightly pay in arrears by EFT; super fund election within 2 weeks or we elect a complying fund; payslips within 1 working day of pay day; time recording via clock-in/clock-out from the first shift, acknowledged each pay period.
System profiles — worker profile completed in the rostering platform (service start date, compliances, engagement details), onboarding run through its workflow, availability recorded in writing.
PROBATION & THE FAIR WORK ACT — probation runs per the signed employment agreement. Separately, the Fair Work Act's minimum employment period (6 months; 12 for a small business) governs unfair-dismissal eligibility regardless of the probation named in the contract — diarise both dates for every new permanent employee.
LESSON 1 OF 5
ANNUAL & PERSONAL LEAVE.
Leave in a 24/7 service is a continuity problem as much as an entitlement — every approval needs a coverage plan behind it:
ANNUAL LEAVE — THE ENTITLEMENT
4 weeks a year full-time, pro rata for PPT, none for casuals. Paid at the higher of 17.5% leave loading or the roster's penalties. Taken within 12 months of falling due; unused balance paid out on termination.
ANNUAL LEAVE — THE PROCESS
Leave form approved by the Principal BEFORE firm plans. Notice: at least 6 weeks for a week or more, 1 month for less. Requests can be refused where cover genuinely can't be arranged — but never unreasonably.
EXCESS ACCRUALS
At 6+ weeks accrued, the worker can be directed (with a month's notice) to take leave down to a 4-week balance. Encourage regular leave — big balances are a liability and a fatigue signal.
PERSONAL / CARER'S LEAVE
10 days a year full-time, pro rata PPT, accumulating year to year; not paid out on termination. Notify the Principal by phone at the earliest opportunity with a likely return date — that call is what lets us arrange cover.
EVIDENCE RULES — a medical certificate or statutory declaration can be required for absences over one day, or after more than 3 single-day absences in a year. Late notification without good reason can mean the absence is unpaid.
LESSON 2 OF 5
OTHER LEAVE & QLEAVE.
The rest of the leave landscape — each with its own notice choreography:
Long service leave — accrues under Queensland legislation; taken in up to 3 periods (minimum 4 weeks each) with 3 months' notice.
Parental leave — 12 months unpaid after 12 months' service (extendable by request), one parent at a time with up to 3 weeks concurrent at birth; written notice 12 weeks ahead, dates confirmed 4 weeks out, return confirmed 8 weeks before. Government Paid Parental Leave is claimed via Services Australia and paid through our payroll.
Compassionate leave — 2 days paid per occasion for a family/household member's life-threatening illness, injury or death; documentation may be requested.
Family & domestic violence leave — 10 days PAID per year under the NES, available to casuals too, from day one. Handle requests with strict confidentiality and never note the reason on the payslip.
Jury service & community service leave — per legislation and the NES.
RECOMMENDED ACTION — QLEAVE PORTABLE LONG SERVICE
Queensland runs a portable long service leave scheme for COMMUNITY SERVICES workers — including disability services — administered by QLeave. In-scope employers must register, lodge quarterly returns and pay a levy, and workers' long service accrues across employers. Confirm Sunnysights' registration and reporting status; if we're in scope and not registered, this is a priority gap to close.
LESSON 3 OF 5
PAY, OVERTIME & TOIL.
Payroll discipline is where wage compliance is won or lost fortnight to fortnight:
THE PAY CYCLE
Fortnightly, processed Thursday, paid in arrears by EFT; payslips within one working day, showing every deduction and each loading, penalty and allowance as its own line. PAYG, STP and super run through the accounting software.
OVERTIME — APPROVAL FIRST
Additional hours outside normal duties need management approval BEFORE they're worked, or they're not paid as overtime. Staying back to fix your own erroneous work is generally reasonable additional hours, not overtime.
TOIL — IN WRITING, PENALTY-EQUIVALENT
Time off instead of overtime only by written agreement: 2 hours at 150% = 3 hours off, taken within 3 months or paid out in the next cycle; paid out immediately on request. Keep every agreement on file.
OVERPAYMENTS & DEDUCTIONS
Overpayments are recovered from the next pay (or over time if hardship). Any other deduction needs lawful authority — the agreements authorise deductions for unauthorised absences and money owed, but tread carefully and document consent.
TIME RECORDS ARE THE TRUTH — workers sign in and out via the clock-in/out app and acknowledge their record each pay period. Falsifying time records — including clocking for someone else, or logging "active awake" during an inactive sleepover — is deceitful conduct investigated as misconduct.
LESSON 1 OF 5
SUPERVISION & APPRAISAL.
Performance management starts long before a problem — it's a rhythm of feedback so the annual review never contains a surprise:
FORTNIGHTLY — FORMAL FEEDBACK
Supervision happens at least once per fortnight for each worker delivering supports — feedback, work, motivations. Documented on the Worker Supervision Record: objectives from last meeting, achieved or not, new goals, action plan, progress due.
ANNUALLY — THE APPRAISAL
Every employee past probation: a self-evaluation, then a formal meeting. The appraisal form rates competencies — communication, knowledge, flexibility, initiative, reliability, leadership — each with training needs identified.
THE MANAGER'S JOB IN EVERY MEETING
Set clear objectives, give useful specific feedback, keep the worker involved in two-way communication, and keep logs of important incidents — the logs make fair evaluation possible.
OUTPUT — DEVELOPMENT, NOT JUST A SCORE
Identified gaps become a training and improvement plan — the Staff Performance Improvement Plan records the responsibility, required results, actions and timeframe, signed by both parties.
IT'S AN NDIS INDICATOR TOO — "the performance of workers is managed, developed and documented" is a quality indicator our registration is audited against. Supervision records aren't bureaucracy; they're audit evidence and retention strategy at once.
LESSON 2 OF 5
UNDERPERFORMANCE — INFORMAL FIRST.
For garden-variety performance gaps — poor timekeeping, patchy output, minor policy breaches — the first step is informal, supportive and documented:
1 · NAME THE GAP
Details of the non-performance, the standard required, and the evidence — discussed with the worker, who gets the chance to respond (in writing if they wish).
2 · SUPPORT & A TIMEFRAME
Training, coaching or on-the-job support arranged; a reasonable improvement window set — typically 4–8 weeks — recorded on the Performance Issue Record, signed by both, copy to HR and the file.
3 · CHECK IN, THEN CLOSE OR ESCALATE
Regular check-ins across the period; a formal review at the end. Improved enough → close the process in writing. Not improved → the formal disciplinary process (next lesson).
NATURAL JUSTICE — THE FOUR GUARANTEES
The standards required are made clear · the worker knows what happens if performance is or isn't maintained · a support person is permitted at performance meetings · the worker always gets the opportunity to respond and put their side. An unbiased decision-maker throughout.
DOCUMENT AS YOU GO — notes, letters and warnings signed and dated by everyone present (record any refusal to sign). File notes within 2–3 working days of a concern arising. In an unfair dismissal claim, the process on paper IS the defence.
LESSON 3 OF 5
DISCIPLINE & DISMISSAL.
Serious or repeated issues move to the formal process. Allegations of serious misconduct, discrimination, sexual harassment or bullying skip informal management and go straight to investigation — and suspected criminal conduct is referred to police.
The formal sequence: written notice of an investigation meeting (nature of the concerns, date, time, right to a support person) → the meeting, with the worker's response heard → decision by the delegated authority → written confirmation of what was found, what must change, by when, and what happens next. Outcomes escalate:
FORMAL VERBAL WARNING
Approved by the delegated authority, recorded on the Performance Issue Record, signed and filed.
WRITTEN & FINAL WRITTEN WARNING
Warning Record signed by manager and worker; unsatisfactory conduct typically runs verbal → written → final → termination; misconduct can start at final.
SHOW CAUSE
Written notice of the breach; 3 working days to respond in writing; suspension during the process; a meeting where the worker says why employment should continue.
DISMISSAL — OR SUMMARY DISMISSAL
With notice after due process — or without notice for proven serious misconduct: theft, fraud, assault, intoxication at work, refusal of a lawful and reasonable instruction, conduct risking health, safety or reputation.
Suspension — only with delegated authority approval, notified in writing with the period and effect date; entitlements keep accruing; no contact with staff, participants or contractors during investigation; lifted in writing.
Resignation mid-investigation — the investigation report is still completed with the information available and the outcome noted on the confidential file, including where allegations were NOT substantiated.
Standard of proof — the balance of probabilities; the more serious the allegation, the higher the degree of satisfaction required before acting on it.
NDIS OVERLAY — if the conduct involves a participant, the incident management and reportable-incident obligations run in PARALLEL with discipline — the Commission's clocks don't wait for the HR process. Confidentiality throughout; outcomes advised in writing even when no action is taken.
LESSON 1 OF 5
CASUAL CONVERSION — EMPLOYEE CHOICE.
The Fair Work "Closing Loopholes" reforms rewrote casual employment. Two things changed that matter to us every fortnight:
WHAT "CASUAL" NOW MEANS
A casual is someone with no firm advance commitment to continuing, indefinite work — judged on the REAL substance of the relationship, not just the contract label. A "casual" rostered like a permanent is, in substance, permanent.
THE EMPLOYEE CHOICE PATHWAY
After 6 months (12 in a small business), a casual who believes they no longer fit the casual definition can NOTIFY us in writing that they want to convert. We must consult, then respond in writing within 21 days — accepting, or refusing only on fair and reasonable grounds.
Fair and reasonable grounds include: the worker still genuinely meets the casual definition; substantial roster changes would be needed; or the position won't exist in the coming year. "We'd rather not pay leave" is not a ground.
No retaliation — hours must not be cut or shifts withheld to avoid conversion, and workers can't be dismissed and re-engaged as casuals to dodge it. The Casual Employment Information Statement (issued at start and at set intervals) explains these rights to every casual.
Convert properly — conversion means a PPT agreement with genuinely guaranteed hours (Module 3), not a paper shuffle. Loss of the 25% loading is offset by leave, notice and redundancy entitlements.
GET AHEAD OF IT — review the casual pool periodically for permanent-looking patterns and OFFER conversion where the work justifies it. A proactive PPT offer is a retention tool; a forced conversion dispute is a Fair Work matter.
LESSON 2 OF 5
RIGHT TO DISCONNECT & FIXED TERMS.
Two more recent Fair Work changes that touch a 24/7 rostered workforce directly:
THE RIGHT TO DISCONNECT
Employees may refuse to monitor, read or respond to contact from us (or third parties) outside their working hours — unless the refusal is unreasonable. Reasonableness weighs the reason for contact, how it's made, compensation for availability (like an on-call allowance), the role's responsibility, and personal circumstances.
For us: shift OFFERS to off-duty casuals are fine — but non-response is never misconduct and never counts against a worker. Genuine availability expectations belong in an on-call arrangement, paid as one.
FIXED-TERM CONTRACT LIMITS
Fixed-term contracts are now capped: generally no longer than 2 years including extensions, no more than one renewal, and no consecutive-contract chains for substantially the same work. Every fixed-term employee must also receive the Fixed Term Contract Information Statement.
A contract breaching the caps doesn't end on its end date — the worker becomes ongoing. Exceptions exist (specialised tasks, genuine backfill like parental leave cover, funding-dependent roles) but they're narrow: escalate before offering any fixed term.
APPLYING IT AT SUNNYSIGHTS — brief roster officers to frame out-of-hours shift offers as genuinely optional, pay any real availability expectation as an on-call arrangement under SCHADS, and escalate before offering any fixed-term contract so the caps and the Fixed Term Contract Information Statement are handled correctly.
LESSON 3 OF 5
SEPARATION DONE RIGHT.
Employment ends by resignation, termination with notice, summary dismissal, redundancy or abandonment — each with its own paperwork:
NOTICE BY THE EMPLOYER
Up to 1 year: 1 week · 1–3 years: 2 weeks · 3–5 years: 3 weeks · 5+ years: 4 weeks — PLUS one extra week if the worker is over 45 with 2+ years' service. Payment in lieu at ordinary rates if notice isn't worked. No notice for proven serious misconduct.
RESIGNATION
In writing, with the reason. Employees give two weeks' notice; if short, equivalent pay may be withheld per the agreement. Garden leave may be directed — full pay, no duties, no secondary employment without approval.
REDUNDANCY & ABANDONMENT
Redundancy = the JOB is no longer required by anyone; consultation applies and redundancy pay follows the NES. Abandonment: 3+ working days absent without consent or notice is prima facie abandonment; deemed after 7 days without reasonable cause established.
FINAL PAY
Unused ANNUAL leave paid out (leave taken in advance can be recovered); unused personal leave is NOT paid out; lawful deductions only. LSL per QLD law — and QLeave if registered.
Exit logistics — all property, records, vehicles, keys and credit cards returned within seven days (recovery costs deductible); system and building access revoked; the termination record completed: how it ended, notice given, who ended it.
Continuity of supports — every separation triggers the care continuity plan: cover from existing qualified workers first, external agency second, recruitment third — with changes explained and agreed with affected participants.
UNFAIR DISMISSAL LENS — before any termination, check: valid reason, process followed, warnings on file, opportunity to respond, support person offered. If any box is empty, stop and fix the process first.
LESSON 1 OF 5
WHAT THE HANDBOOK DOES.
The Employee Handbook is the day-to-day rulebook sitting under the policies — 23 sections from the Code of Conduct to termination. HR issues it, keeps it current, and administers the signature that makes it enforceable:
ITS LEGAL CHARACTER
Like the policies, it does not form part of the employment contract — the Employer can update it at any time — but breaches lead to disciplinary action. It must always sit ABOVE the legal floor: NES, award, legislation.
THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FORM
Every employee signs that they received, read and understood the handbook. HR files the signed form on the personnel file — without it, "you knew the rule" is hard to establish in any later disciplinary process.
WHAT LIVES INSIDE
Code of Conduct · joining, probation and training · remuneration and hours · all leave types · TOIL · safeguards and standards · whistleblower, bullying & harassment, grievance · capability and disciplinary · privacy, vehicles, termination.
FLEXIBILITY & MOBILITY CLAUSES
Workers agree to transfer to alternative duties when necessary and travel to other sites or participants' homes within reasonable distance — the clauses that make a 24/7 roster workable. Availability changes must be in writing.
HR OWNS ITS CURRENCY — when the award changes (June 2026 sleepovers), when the NES changes (FDV leave, right to disconnect), the handbook must follow. An out-of-date handbook that workers signed is worse than none — schedule it into the policy review cycle.
LESSON 2 OF 5
DAY-TO-DAY STANDARDS.
The handbook's working rules — the ones HR is asked about weekly:
Time recording — clock in and out at shift start, end and breaks. Incorrect records can delay pay to the next period; clocking for another employee (or letting them clock for you) is deceit, disciplinable up to termination.
Lateness & absence — notify the manager as soon as possible with an expected arrival; pay is deducted for lateness, and arriving over an hour late unannounced can mean being sent home unpaid. Leaving mid-shift needs manager approval.
Conduct & presentation — civility to colleagues, participants and the public; professional dress; smoke-free work areas; never under the influence of drugs or alcohol; prescribed medication that could impair safe work is disclosed.
Disclosures — convictions or charges reported immediately; driving convictions and licence loss reported where driving is part of the role; changes to personal details notified promptly; pay kept confidential.
Vehicles, property & safeguards — seatbelts always, no unauthorised passengers, accidents reported with a Vehicle Accident Report; fines are the driver's; the Employer holds rights of search on premises; personal valuables are brought at the worker's own risk.
SHORTAGE OF WORK & STAND DOWN — temporary work shortages are managed by agreement (reduced hours or leave); stand down without pay applies only to causes we can't reasonably be held responsible for. Both preserve continuity of service for entitlements.
LESSON 3 OF 5
PROTECTIONS & GRIEVANCES.
The handbook's protection frameworks are where HR earns trust — every one runs on confidentiality, fairness and no-detriment:
WHISTLEBLOWER
Corporations Act protections for eligible disclosures of misconduct or an improper state of affairs — identity protected, no victimisation, and disclosures handled through the designated recipients. HR never treats a protected disclosure as a performance issue.
BULLYING & HARASSMENT
Zero tolerance, in any form. Complaints are investigated promptly and confidentially with natural justice for everyone involved; substantiated conduct is disciplined up to dismissal. Sexual harassment also carries a positive duty to PREVENT it, not just respond.
GRIEVANCE
Any dissatisfaction with employment can be raised and, where appropriate, resolved — an effective internal path that keeps issues from festering into disputes or complaints to external bodies.
CAPABILITY & RELATIONSHIPS AT WORK
Capability (the job outgrew the person, or health changed) is handled with support, adjustment and medical advice before any employment decision — it is NOT discipline. Personal relationships that create conflicts of interest are disclosed and managed.
ONE SYSTEM, MANY DOORS — a worker's concern might arrive as a grievance, a bullying complaint, a whistleblower disclosure or an NDIS complaint. Your job is routing it to the right framework fast, protecting the person who raised it, and documenting the path taken.
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