Other Stuff

Child Protection Legislation

Some employers are required by legislation to complete compulsory/mandatory checks on employees if they are working with children or in places where they are around children. Failure to do so may mean that your employer will be unable to employ you for many programs. In NSW the Working With Children Check (WWCC) is required. The WWCC has been undergoing significant change, review and reform around the country. For more information check out: www.kids.nsw.gov.au or the peak organisation in your state. It is worth noting that legislation around child protection changed in NSW in 2021 - you might like to check and see if your employer is up to date.

It is reasonable for an employer to expect you to get this check completed and to keep your registration maintained (I think of it as like professional registration). Good employers may pay to keep registration current for permanent employees.

Criminal record check

There generally isn’t a legal requirement for outdoor recreation employers to do a criminal record check on staff and I personally think that it is an invasion of privacy for employers to do so unnecessarily. However you should be aware that for some jobs (particularly if you are working alone or with vulnerable people) that employers will ask for it to be done, and for some jobs (like working in a prison doing an outdoor rehabilitation program) it may be a requirement of the related industry.

Uniforms

Many Awards (and EBAs) have provisions in them relating to uniforms (including laundry allowances). You should ask about the policy on uniforms at your work and check what your Award (or EBA) says.

If the Award doesn’t have a uniform provision, then I think a good rule of thumb is that if an employer ever tells you that you “must” wear or own a specific item of clothing then they should provide it (or pay for it). If the uniform is also safety clothing (Personal Protective Equipment or PPE) then the employer (PCBU) must pay for it. If an employer requires you to wear normal clothing (eg white shirt and black pants) it is reasonable for your employer to ask you to provide it. But if your employer wants those items of clothing branded, generally they can't make you pay for it and they have to provide it.

And a reminder: if an employer wants you to wear something for WHS reasons then they are legally required to provide it as it is PPE.

Qualifications

Some roles within businesses have minimum qualifications required by law, or by a land manager or licensor. You will need to provide copies of these qualifications before undertaking these roles. If the qualification requires maintenance, re-registration or re-certification (eg First Aid, professional registration, swift water re-certification) then you should negotiate this with your employer before you commence employment. If you are a casual employee it is highly unlikely your employer will pay for these.

Using your vehicle for work

Read more on the "using your vehicle for work" page.

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)

EEO is about making sure that workplaces are free from all forms of discrimination and harassment. It is also about assist people to overcome past or present disadvantage. In short, employers need to recruit new employees fairly – on the basis of merit, qualifications, experience and ability to do the job – that is, the most suitable person for the job will receive employment. As I understand it, fitness tests are allowable, and some workplaces have specific exemptions (eg Women’s shelters are exempt from discriminating against men).

Privacy: Yours and your boss’s

A business should respect your privacy, and similarly you should respect the privacy of other staff, customers, partners and business operations. Don't share information about your workplace with anyone unless your boss says you can.

Some large businesses, not-for-profit organisations, government agencies, health service providers and some other organisations have to comply with particular aspects of the Privacy Act 1988. Your employer should let you know if your work is impacted by this.

Disputes and Grievances

Every employer should have a process for dealing with disputes and grievances. Good employers should actively seek out feedback and proactively respond to identified issues. You’ll identify the bad employers pretty quickly in this area.

In general, if you have any questions about your employment or if something is going on at the workplace that you are not sure about or unhappy with, then talk to a senior staff member at your work place. If you are unsatisfied with the answers you get or if you still have questions, then the best organisation to assist you is probably the Fair Work Ombudsman (13 13 94).

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