A carer-inclusive workplace is one where carers:
- feel safe to share caring status
- are supported to access leave, flexible work, and other caring supports
experience inclusion at work, that is, that they are respected, connected, contributing, and progressing.
Access DCA’s definition of inclusion.
This page outlines leading practice actions that will help your organisation to build inclusion for employees with caring responsibilities.
Table of Contents
Ensure you are meeting your legal requirements
The first step towards supporting employees with caring responsibilities is ensuring that you are meeting your legal obligations.
Please note, the following resources are provided for information purposes only and does not constitute professional or legal advice.
National Employment Standards
Sick and carer’s leave
Employees are entitled to sick and carer’s leave (also known as personal leave) under the National Employment Standards. Personal leave allows an employee to take time off to help them deal with personal illness, caring responsibilities, or family emergencies.
For more information, see the Fair Work Ombudsman’s resource on sick and carer’s leave.
Want to go beyond compliance?
See the section below on offering additional leave.
Right to request flexible working arrangements
Also under the National Employment Standards, full-time and part-time workers may request flexible work arrangements if they have worked with the same employer for 12 months and they:
- are the parent, or have responsibility for the care, of a child who is school aged or younger
- are a carer (under the Carer Recognition Act 2010).
Casual workers can also request flexible work arrangements if:
- they’ve been working for the same employer regularly and systematically for at least 12 months, and
- there’s a reasonable expectation that they’ll continue working for the employer on a regular and systematic basis.
In these circumstances an employer can only refuse a request on reasonable business grounds if they have:
- discussed the request with the employee and genuinely tried to reach an agreement on alternative arrangements to accommodate the employee’s circumstances
- considered the consequences for refusing the employee’s request.
For more information on the right to request flexible working arrangements under the Fair Work Act, see the Fair Work Ombudsman’s resource on flexible working arrangements.
Want to go beyond compliance?
Check out the section below on flexible work below for those with caring responsibilities and DCA’s Future-Flex resources.
Parental leave
Unpaid parental leave is one of the National Employment Standards. Under the standard, employees who have completed at least 12 months of continuous service with their employer are eligible for unpaid parental leave.
This includes casual employees if they have:
- been working for their employer on a regular and systematic basis for at least 12 months
- a reasonable expectation of continuing work for their employer on a regular and systematic basis, had it not been for the birth (or expected birth) or adoption (or expected adoption) of a child.
For more information see the parental leave section of DCA’s website.
Read & learn more
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Parental leave and related entitlements
Want to go beyond compliance?
Check out the section below on implementing a leading practice parental leave policy and the parental leave section of our website.
Protection from discrimination
In Australia it is unlawful to discriminate against a person because of their parental status, carer status, or family responsibilities in the area of employment.
At the federal level, family and caring responsibilities are protected under the Fair Work Act 2009 and the Sex Discrimination Act 1984.
It is also important to ensure you comply with any state-based anti-discrimination laws that may apply to your organisation.
Read & learn more
- Fair Work Ombudsman, Protection from discrimination at work
- Job Watch, Carer, Parent and Family Discrimination
- Australian Human Rights Commission, A quick guide to Australian discrimination laws
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The contents of this page were last updated in October 2025.
References
- Jamie L. Peterson Gloor et al., “‘Maybe Baby?’ The Employment Risk of Potential Parenthood,” Journal of Applied Social Psychology 52, no. 8 (2022): 623–42, https://doi.org/10.1111/jasp.12799.
- Sheilla Njoto et al., “Bias and Discrimination Against Women and Parents in Semi-Automated Hiring Systems,” New Technology, Work and Employment n/a, no. n/a (forthcoming), https://doi.org/10.1111/ntwe.12321.
- M. Fahy et al., “‘If My Boss Wasn’t so Accommodating, I Don’t Know What I Would Do’: Workplace Supports for Carers and the Role of Line Managers and Co-Workers in Mediating Informal Flexibility,” Human Resource Management Journal 35, no. 1 (2025): 302–18, https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12566.