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Queensland Health introduced Reproductive Health Leave (RHL) in September 2024 with a clear purpose: to reduce stigma for workers, predominantly women, managing reproductive health conditions in the workforce. The intention was good. The implementation, according to our members, has fallen short.
In recent months, NPAQ has received an increasing number of reports from nurses and midwives across Queensland who have encountered barriers to accessing this leave. This week, The Courier Mail reported exclusively on those experiences. The government has indicated that nothing has changed. Our members tell a very different story.
WHAT OUR MEMBERS ARE TELLING US
Across survey responses, case management contacts, and direct emails to NPAQ, a consistent picture has emerged. Members are being asked to justify intimate reproductive health details to their managers, which is not required; see fact sheet. Some have had leave denied or recorded incorrectly. Some have even had their confidential information shared without consent. And all of them have had to fight for an entitlement specifically designed to make things easier.
It's time to speak out. Here's what some have said
“Disclosing the reason for me taking reproductive health leave is such a stigma. I felt uncomfortable having to explain my situation to my manager.”
“I was asked what the reproductive leave was for. I answered a reproductive procedure and had to disclose that it was an IVF-related procedure. I felt I had to disclose this so that the leave would be accepted.”
“When you call in for leave, it’s marked as sick leave. Then, when you return to work, you have to go in, cancel the sick leave, and then reapply for reproductive leave. This is time you don’t always have at work due to workloads.”
“My leave was openly discussed at the nurses station in front of me by a doctor who had previously treated me in an emergency situation.”
“The NUM emailed a copy of my medical certificate to the ADON.”
“The entitlement has been removed from myHR?”
These are not isolated complaints from a single ward or hospital. They span multiple Hospital and Health Services across Queensland. The volume and consistency of what members are telling us means we cannot treat this as a local issue.
a SYSTEM CHANGE THAT QUEENSLAND HEALTH HASN’T EXPLAINED
On top of these individual experiences, there is a system-level change that demands an answer. Since a recent myHR upgrade, Reproductive Health Leave no longer appears in the standard Leave Balance view in the employee portal. Where there were previously six leave categories displayed, including RHL, there are now five: Recreation Leave, Long Service Leave, Sick Leave, Rostered Day Off, and Concessional Day. Reproductive Health Leave is gone.
One of our members noticed the change, contacted Queensland Health Payroll directly, and was told the removal was deliberate. The balance, she was informed, is now visible only when submitting a leave application, not in the standard overview where every other entitlement sits.
This matters. If a nurse cannot see her RHL balance alongside her annual leave and sick leave, she may not know it exists, may not know how much she has accrued, or may assume it has been removed entirely. For an entitlement specifically designed to reduce stigma and improve access, making it harder to find is precisely the wrong direction. And the fact that Payroll has confirmed the change was intentional makes it impossible to dismiss as a technical glitch.
WHAT WE ARE DOING ABOUT IT
NPAQ has written formally to the Queensland Health Minister, the Director-General, and the Minister for Women. We have outlined what members are experiencing and calling for: specific, practical changes that ensure nurses can access their reproductive health leave without being asked to explain their medical conditions as per policy, without having to navigate a separate administrative process, and with the confidence that their personal health information will be handled confidentially. We have also called for the RHL balance to be reinstated in the standard myHR Leave overview, in line with all other leave entitlements.
We are not making allegations of bad faith. We are simply saying this is what our members are experiencing, and it needs to change.
WE NEED YOUR STORY
The more evidence we have, the harder it is for the government to dismiss what is happening. We are aiming to compile 50 documented member experiences, and we intend to send one to the Health Minister, the Director-General, and the Minister for Women every single day until the system is fixed.
If you are a Queensland nurse or midwife who has experienced difficulty accessing Reproductive Health Leave; whether that’s being asked intrusive questions, having your leave denied, having your privacy breached, or simply struggling with a confusing process — we want to hear from you. Responses can be anonymous.
Nursing is a predominantly female profession. This leave was designed for you. You should be able to access it — without stigma, without paperwork, and without having to justify your body to anyone.
Share your story: forms.gle/MfBXTJwETCR1tko27