The AEAWA have been contacted by members who have been under the incorrect belief that to keep an allocated position, they simply need to work a roster every 2 years. This is incorrect.

Under clause 30.9(b) ‘Filling an Allocated Position” the wording stipulates:

(a)  Critical Care Paramedics;
(b)  an authorised period of paid leave and/or unpaid leave, including unpaid personal/carer’s leave, unpaid parental leave, and unpaid domestic violence leave;
(c)  Country relief; and
(d)  time away from the allocated position in accordance with clause 30.10(a) and clause 30.10(b)(ii).

30.10(a) relates to you being rostered out of your depot for up to 16 weeks, at the request of the rosters department. This 16 weeks is not included in any calculation for ‘time out of depot’, unless it has been requested by the employee.

What this means is that should rosters examine any three-year period (156 weeks) and find that the employee has been out of that allocated depot (i.e. on secondment or performing other roles such as HLM, AM, ORM etc) for more than 2 years (104 weeks) then the allocated position is forfeited and will be filled in accordance with clause 30.09. Simply working a 8-week roster at the allocated position periodically, or once every 2 years before recommencing other duties is not sufficient to keep the permanent position.