Safe, secure and portable long service leave
We administer the portable long service leave scheme for the security industry in the ACT in accordance with the Long Service Leave Act (Portable Schemes) Act 2009.
The scheme allows eligible workers to move between employers in the security industry while accruing service towards a long service leave entitlement.
The scheme even allows workers to accrue long service leave while self-employed.
In the ACT, security industry workers registered on or after 1 January 2013 are entitled to:
- 6.06 weeks of portable long service leave after 7 years of recorded service in the industry
- 0.867 weeks of leave for every year after 7 years.
How the security industry scheme works
In the ACT, employers with employees covered under the scheme must:
- register with us
- pay a levy set at 1.47% of the gross ordinary wages of those workers.
Contractors, working directors, sole traders or individual partners in a partnership, have the option to make their own contributions if they wish to accrue service in the scheme.
Contractor registration with the scheme is voluntary. The benefit is a payment instead of leave.
When a worker decides to claim some or all of their long service leave entitlement, they can lodge a long service leave claim form with ACT Leave.
Interstate security industry service
There is a similar scheme for the security industry in Victoria. There are some differences in the:
- type of work covered
- benefits offered under the scheme.
We do not have any agreements in place with other states or territories.
This scheme only applies to relevant work performed in the ACT.
Coverage for employers and workers in the security industry
Workers covered under the scheme include:
- employees and contractors performing relevant work defined below
- working directors.
A worker can be an employee working for salary or wages, or a contractor. Employees can be full-time, part-time or casual.
A key difference between employees and contractors is:
- employers must record service for their employees
- contractors and working directors can choose to record service for themselves.
Relevant work in the security industry
Relevant work includes one or more of the security activities defined under section 7(1)(a) to (h) in the Security Industry Act 2003, including:
- patrolling, guarding, watching or protecting property (including cash in transit)
- guarding with a firearm for cash in transit
- guarding with a firearm for protecting property
- acting as a monitoring centre operator
- guarding with a dog
- acting as a bodyguard
- acting as a security consultant
- acting as a crowd controller.
If you’re not sure if your employees are covered, contact us to clarify.
Not covered in the security industry
Office workers are not covered in this scheme. Workers who install, maintain and repair security equipment are not covered in this scheme but are covered under the building and construction scheme.
