Absences

Absences allow you to be away from your usual place of duty.

If you're sick or injured, you can apply for a medical absence.

If you need time away from work for specific reasons, you can apply for a short absence.

Medical absences allow you to be away from your usual place of duty if you're sick or injured.

You first need to inform your supervisor that you're sick or injured. You should then apply for your medical absence in the PMKeyS Portal as soon as possible.

Your supervisor may reject your absence application if they decide there are duties you can still perform. They must discuss any recommendations with your health professional and give copies of their decision to your Commanding Officer.

You can also apply for a medical absence if you get sick or injured while on recreation or long service leave. You need to apply to re-credit the recreation or long service leave while you were on a medical absence.

You can apply for a medical absence without a medical certificate on a day-to-day basis for up to 3 days. You'll need to inform your supervisor each day.

Medical absences for more than 3 days

If you need more than 3 consecutive days of absence, you must visit your closest Garrison Health Centre. Once you've applied, you only need to inform your supervisor on the first day of absence.

For after-hours support

Contact the 24-hour phone service 1800 IMSICK (1800 467 425).

Short absences allow you to be away from work for short periods of time for specific reasons. They can be taken as full or part days.

If you want more than a day off and you have other paid leave available, you usually need to take this before applying for a short absence.

Short absence for rest and recovery 

You can apply for a short absence if you need time off work to rest and recover from a long or intense period of duty.  

A short absence for rest and recovery needs to be approved at: 

• WO2 (or equivalent) level in your direct chain of command for absences of up to 3 days
• MAJ (or equivalent) level in your direct chain of command for absences of up to 5 days.

Short absence – not required for duty 

You'll have periods of short absence outside your usual rostered working hours when you’re not required to be on duty.  

You don’t need to apply for this type of short absence or have it approved.  

Short absence – exam leave  

You can apply for up to 40 hours each financial year to sit your exams if you're taking a course that you’re: 

• studying under the Defence Assisted Study Scheme
• paying for under FEE-HELP or VET student loan schemes
• studying in a Commonweath supported place. 

This leave covers the length of your exam and reasonable travel time to and from the venue.   

You can’t take a short absence for exams on a weekend day, public holiday. You can take a short absence for exams on the same day you're taking half a day of recreation leave. 

A short absence for exams needs to be approved at WO2 (or equivalent) level in your direct chain of command. 

Short absence – travel  

You can apply for a short absence if you need to travel for more than 12 hours and you’ve been approved to take:

• recreation leave travel in Australia
• compassionate travel
• pre-deployment leave travel
• leave when moving.  

If you're moving to a new housing benefit location, you may get up to 2 days short absence from duty before and after your move.  

If you're moving to a new home within the same housing benefit location, you may get up to 3 days short absence from duty.  

You can also apply if you’re performing duty overseas and need to travel back to Australia so you: 

• take personal leave for a compassionate reason and pay your own travel costs  
• travel under the relief out-of-country travel fare assistance.  

The number of travel days you can take depends how long your travel time is. You need to be travelling in the most economical way Based on where you're travelling to, the types of transport available, the actual cost and the estimated value of your pay and allowances for travel time. .

A short absence for travel needs to be approved at WO2 (or equivalent) level in your direct chain of command. 

Short absence – pre-deployment  

If you're deployed Deployment means overseas service by a member who is force assigned with an ADF deployment, a United Nations’ mission or similar force on any of the following: 
• warlike deployment 
• non-warlike deployment 
• peacetime deployment.   for more than 6 months in an operational area or an area defined by the Minister, you can apply for a short absence to organise personal matters before you go.  

You can get up to 7 days of pre-deployment leave. 

You usually need to take this leave in the 6 weeks before you're deployed. 

If you want to take more leave before you're deployed, you can apply for recreation leave. 

A short absence for pre-deployment needs to be approved at WO2 (or equivalent) level in your direct chain of command. 

Short absence – civilian court proceedings 

You may get a short absence if you need to appear in a civilian court on behalf of someone else.  

A short absence for appearing in a civilian court needs to be approved at WO2 (or equivalent) level in your direct chain of command.

Short absence – command directed 

You may be directed by your Commanding Officer to take a short absence. This is for maintaining unit effectiveness or the health and welfare of the unit members. You must not report for duty if you’re directed not to.  

You don’t need to apply for this type of short absence or have it approved. 

Short absence – moving  

You can also apply for a short absence if you're moving homes.

A short absence for moving needs to be approved at WO2 (or equivalent) level in your direct chain of command. 

You need to apply for a short absence from duty in the PMKeyS Portal.