Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

I know this is a bill that we all want to get through, that's all. The purpose of the paid family and domestic violence leave entitlement is to provide financial security for those experiencing family and domestic violence. The principle underlying it is that employees should not have to choose between doing things to ensure their own safety or going to work to make ends meet.

The new family and domestic violence leave payment will be paid at the full rate of pay, which is the payment an employee would have received had they not taken a period of leave. This includes any loadings, penalty rates or allowances the employee would have ordinary received had they been working. For example, the casual loading, overtime allowance, higher duties allowance or a living away from home allowance are payable if they would have applied to the shift the employee would have worked had they not taken a period of leave. You gave a number of examples including working in hot or unpleasant conditions. Unless I'm told otherwise I am going to assume that if that was an allowance that a particular employee was paid in their ordinary work time then that would be payable as part of the leave payment, should someone seek to exercise that right.