Industrial Relations Act 2016

This section applies if an employee wants to take adoption leave.

The employee must give the employer—

for long adoption leave—written notice of any approval to adopt a child at least 10 weeks before the expected date of adoption (the expected adoption date); and

written notice of the dates on which the employee wants to start and end the leave, as soon as practicable after the employee is notified of the expected adoption date but, in any case, at least 14 days before starting the leave.

The employee must, before starting the leave, give the employer—

a statement from an adoption agency of the expected adoption date; and

for long adoption leave—a statutory declaration by the employee stating—

the period of any adoption leave sought by the employee’s spouse; and

that the employee is seeking the leave because the employee is to be responsible for the care of the child.

In this section—

adoption agency means an agency, body, office or court, authorised by a Commonwealth law or State law to perform functions about adoption.