paul mallett believes it is unfair that many workers, particularly those in the care economy, never qualify for long service leave despite working for decades in the sector.

In most jobs in Australia, long service leave is tied to continuous service of 7-10 years with a single employer. However in sectors where people regularly move between employers, like the care sector, workers miss out on these entitlements due to several factors including short term contracts and 1-5 years funding cycles.

paul mallett is a strong advocate for the introduction of a durable Portable Long Service Scheme for Tasmania. This scheme, established by state legislation and funded through levies on employers (equivalent to what employers already accrue for their staff), would provide continuity of entitlement for workers even when changing jobs within the sector.

Construction, security and cleaning workers have had portable long service schemes since the 1970s across Australia. Some state jurisdictions have introduced schemes for the community service workers (Victoria in 2019, and New South Wales in 2025) and paul promotes the introduction of a similar scheme in Tasmania.

The scheme would:

• support workforce wellbeing – with long service leave being an opportunity (earned right) to rest, recharge, and prevent burnout, which is critical in high stress and emotionally demanding roles;
• promote sector stability and retention – rewarding workers for staying in the sector, and serving long-term careers (across multiple employers) in often undervalued roles;
• provide fairness and equity – ensuring Tasmanian workers have access to a scheme equivalent to their colleagues in other states;
• recognise that the community services has a unique funding environment with 1-5 year funding cycles. Workers should net be penalised for a strucutural feature of the sector that is beyond their control.

At a personal level, paul can report working for four community agencies across the decade from 2016. Each new start reset the long service leave clock. Each departure enabled the employer to hold the long service leave accrued during paul’s tenure.