Hairdressers, beauticians accommodation and food service workers to get access to portable long service leave in proposed ACT laws

Industrial Relations Minister Mick Gentleman introduced legislation in the Assembly on Tuesday morning to extend portable long service leave to these industries.

But the scheme would not commence for another two years after some employers in the industries expressed concerns about the additional expenses.

Under the portable long service leave scheme, an employer pays a percentage of the workers salary into the ACT Long Service Leave Authority.

Workers can only access the scheme if they remain employed in the one industry but unlike traditional long service leave they do not need to be with the one employer.

Sectors currently eligible for the scheme include construction, community services, contract cleaning and security industries.

The percentage of income paid into the scheme differs between industries.

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Mr Gentleman said the ACT government wanted to do all it could to improve conditions for people in unstable employment arrangements.

"Unstable employment arrangements are associated with poorer mental health and shorter life expectancies," he said.

"We will use every lever in our control to improve this situation for working Canberrans, especially those in highly transitory industries."

The ACT government conducted a consultation about the proposed expansion. Eight industry stakeholders or employers and two union or employee representatives provided submissions as part of this.

Industry stakeholders and employers expressed concern about additional costs and administration. They also wanted greater detail and clarity around workforce and business impacts.

There were also concerns about the fact the scheme conflicted with the purpose of long service leave which encourages employees to remain with the same employer and to be rewarded for doing so.

Mr Gentleman said in response to these concerns the government would not commence the scheme for another two years.

The ACT government first committed to exploring the expansion of the scheme in 2020, following a motion from former Labor backbencher Bec Cody.

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