Published on 8 January 2024

Happy new year and welcome back to those of you who took time off over the festive period.

With another public holiday approaching, Western Health has taken on board feedback from our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff as well as wider community sentiment that for some people 26 January is a date that is associated with sadness, mourning and pain. We are therefore now offering all staff that would normally have the public holiday off the option of working on the Australia Day public holiday, and to take a day off at another time instead.

This decision reflects our ongoing commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff and community and our efforts towards ensuring that Western Health is a welcoming and culturally safe environment for all.

If you would like to substitute the Australia Day public holiday for another day, please discuss this with your manager before submitting a request to People and Culture. Your proposed substitute day must be mutually agreed and cannot conflict with the operational requirements of your work area.

Once both you and your manager are in agreement, please submit a leave request for your alternative date. If you choose to substitute Australia Day for another day, you will receive your ordinary rate of pay for working on 26 January. If you normally work in an area/department that has reduced services on 26 January, you can be redeployed within your division or form part of the skeleton staffing services where emergency cover is required.

If you do not wish to substitute any alternative day, there is no action to take.

Western Health is committed to the healing of country, working towards equality in health outcomes, and the ongoing journey of reconciliation. We are committed to respectfully listening and learning from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and wholeheartedly support their journey to self-determination. You can read more about our actions to date and future initiatives in our Aboriginal Health and Cultural Safety Plan 2022-2025.

Regards,


Adjunct Professor Shane Crowe
Acting CEO