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Australia Policy

Parental Leave

NATURE OF REVISIONS | PURPOSE | POLICY | SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION | CONTACT INFORMATION | BACKGROUND/RATIONALE

All policies/supplements are subject to local laws where the Company operates. These policies/supplements are subjectto change without prior notification.

Applies to:All employees in Consulting; Enterprise; Services; Solutions

Document Number: 0887Effective Date of thisVersion:

10 March 2011

Policy Sponsor: Human ResourcesSupersedes the VersionDated:

8 April 2010

Original Effective Date: 17 September 2001

NATURE OF REVISIONS

10 March 2011: Updated to include information relating to Paid Parental Leave legislation.

8 April 2010: Further defined conditions for taking parental leave. No change to current entitlements.

15 March 2009: Amended eligibility to employees of Accenture Australia at the commencement of any parental leave period.

11 March 2009: Specified that to be eligible for maternity leave the employee must be an active employee at the time of birthof the child.

7 July 2008: Clarification on point that employees on unpaid leave will receive unpaid parental leave.

15 June 2007: Removal of requirement to repay parental leave should employee not return for 12 months full time.

28 June 2006: Updated policy to include senior executives as eligible employees and updated the table of contents to anew format.

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PURPOSE OF THIS POLICY

The purpose of this policy is to outline the parental leave conditions for permanent employees in Australia.

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POLICY

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT PAID PARENTAL LEAVE SCHEME II. GENERAL OVERVIEW OF COMPANY PARENTAL LEAVE PROVISIONS III. MATERNITY LEAVE (a) Eligibility Criteria(b) How to Apply for Maternity Leave(c) Special Maternity LeaveIV. PATERNITY LEAVE(a) The Two Ways to Take Paternity Leave

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(b) Eligibility Criteria(c) How to Apply for Short Paid Paternity Leave and Extended Paternity LeaveV. ADOPTION LEAVE(a) The Two Ways to Take Adoption Leave(b) Eligibility Criteria(c) How to Apply for Short Adoption Leave and Extended Adoption LeaveVI. CALCULATION AND PAYMENT OF LEAVEVII. RETURN TO WORK FOLLOWING PARENTAL LEAVE

I. AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT PAID PARENTAL LEAVE SCHEME

The Australian Government's Paid Parental Leave scheme entitlements will be paid through the Company's payroll. Forfurther details on the government Paid Parental Leave entitlements employees should refer to the Family Assistance Office.Process related information will be sent to employees after parental leave request has been submitted.

The Company’s parental leave entitlements detailed within this policy remain unchanged as a result of this legislation.

II. GENERAL OVERVIEW OF COMPANY PARENTAL LEAVE PROVISIONS

Permanent employees of the Company who are currently working are entitled to apply for, and receive, maternity leave,paternity leave or adoption leave (known jointly as parental leave) before or after the birth or adoption of a child inaccordance with the terms of the policy as set out below.

up to three months of continuous leave paid as full pay for three months or half pay for six months; and/orunpaid leave; andany accrued annual leave or long service leave which may be due to them.

If an employee is eligible for paid parental leave, this must be taken before the unpaid leave period.

If an employee has a large annual leave balance, the employee may consider taking paid annual leave instead of a portionof unpaid parental leave.

The total period of absence will typically be 12 months or less, subject to the law. If an employee has requested less than12 months, he/she is entitled to extend his/her parental leave or adoption leave to 12 months by submitting a request atleast four weeks in advance of the parental leave or adoption leave ending.

An employee is able to request a further extension of up to 12 months unpaid leave immediately following the end of theoriginal parental leave or adoption leave period by submitting a request in writing at least four weeks before the end of thecurrent parental leave or adoption leave period. All requests for an additional 12 months will be considered on a case bycase basis.

There may be some instances where Company employees are not eligible for paid maternity/paternity leave or adoptionleave, but are able to access unpaid parental leave or adoption leave entitlements as defined by the Fair Work Act 2009.

III. MATERNITY LEAVE

(a) Eligibility Criteria

The Company will provide paid maternity leave to permanent employees who are currently working and who have aminimum of 12 months service with the Company prior to the date the employee wishes to begin maternity leave.

To be eligible for paid maternity leave, the employee:

must be a permanent employee of Accenture Australia who is currently working and not on leave without pay at thecommencement of the maternity leave periodmust be the birth mother (or adoptive mother in cases of adoption leave) of the child to whom the leave relatesmust take maternity leave for an unbroken period and on a full-time basiscannot take more than three weeks maternity leave concurrently with parental leave taken by the employee's spouseor partner

Refer to Australia General Leave Conditions Policy 0876 for conditions that apply to all leave.

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(b) How to Apply for Maternity Leave

To apply for maternity leave, the employee must provide initial notice to the APSSC in writing at least 10 weeks prior to theexpected date of the birth of the child.

Maternity leave cannot commence more than six weeks before the expected date of birth of the child, unless in cases of apregnancy-related condition. The notice to commence leave must include a certificate from a medical practitionerconfirming the pregnancy and the expected date of birth of the child, and the planned leave start and end dates.

At least six weeks prior to commencing maternity leave, employees are required to confirm the expected date of their leaveby submitting a leave application form via EPS to her project lead executive or workgroup lead. Employees must also notifytheir HR Advisor and Career Counsellor and ensure that their absence is recorded against the appropriate WBS element intheir My Time and Expense report.

Employees are required to provide the APSSC with a signed statement including:

the first and last days of the maternity leave intended to be taken;the amount of any annual leave and long service leave the employee intends to use;confirmation as to whether the paid maternity leave will be taken for three months on full pay or six months on halfpay;confirmation that for the period of maternity leave, the employee will be caring for the child to whom the leaverelates;particulars of the parental leave to be taken by the employee's spouse; andan undertaking that for the period of maternity leave they will not engage in any conduct inconsistent with theiremployment contract, for example, engage in other paid employment.

If the employee has already started a period of ordinary maternity leave and where:

the employee gives birth to a living child that later dies,the employee gives birth to a still-born child

the employee's entitlements to maternity leave remain the same as stated above.

(c) Special Maternity Leave

Employees may also apply for unpaid special maternity leave where the employee has a pregnancy-related illness.

IV. PATERNITY LEAVE

(a) The Two Ways to take Paternity Leave.

If the eligibility criteria as defined below is met, paid paternity leave may be taken in two ways:

1. Short paid paternity leave - up to five days paid leave which can be taken in one or two parts and must be taken withinone month of the birth of the child and/or:

2. Extended paternity leave - up to 12 months unbroken leave taken after the employee’s spouse or partner gives birth sothat the employee can be the carer of the child. Within that 12 months the employee may be eligible for three months paidpaternity leave paid as full pay or six months paid at half pay as part of the extended paternity period.

Where an employee is entitled to three months (or six months on half pay) paid parental leave, in line with criteria below,the period of extended paternity leave is reduced by the period of short paternity leave taken around the time of the birth ofthe child. This means that employees eligible to utilize paid paternity leave can receive, for example, up to 5 days of shortpaid paternity leave, 2 months and 3 weeks extended paid paternity leave and the remainder as unpaid leave.

The total period of absence for paternity leave, including any paid leave, will not typically exceed 12 months, unless anextension has been approved, subject to the law.

(b) Eligibility Criteria

The Company will provide paid paternity leave to permanent employees currently working and who have a minimum of 12months service with the Company prior to the date the employee wishes to begin parental leave according to the eligibility

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criteria below:

To be eligible for short or extended paid paternity leave the employee:

must be a permanent employee of Accenture Australia who is not on leave without pay at the commencement of anyparental leave period;must be the father or the husband or de facto partner of the birth mother of the child to whom the leave relates (oradoptive mother in the case of adoption.)

In addition, to be eligible for extended paid paternity leave the employee must meet the following criteria:

must be responsible for full-time care of the child to whom the leave relates.must have a spouse working on a full-time basis to be entitled to extended parental leavemust take their three months (or six months on half pay) paid extended paternity leave over an unbroken period andon a full-time basis.cannot take more than three weeks paternity leave concurrently with parental leave taken by the employee's spouseor de facto partner;must complete the paid component of paternity leave prior to the child's first birthday.

Please note that employees are not permitted to be working part-time and on paid parental leave simultaneously.

Refer to Australia General Leave Conditions Policy 0876 for conditions that apply to all leave.

(c) How to Apply for Short Paid Paternity Leave and Extended Paternity Leave

At least six weeks prior to commencing short paid paternity leave or extended paternity leave, employees are required toconfirm the expected date of their leave by submitting a leave application form via EPS to their project lead executive orworkgroup lead. Employees must also notify their HR Advisor and Career Counsellor and ensure that their absence isrecorded against the appropriate WBS element in their My Time and Expense report.

Employees are required to provide the APSSC with a signed statement including:

the first and last days of the paternity leave intended to be taken;the amount of any annual leave and long service leave the employee intends to use;confirmation as to whether the paid paternity leave will be taken for three months on full pay or six months on halfpay;particulars of the parental leave taken by the employee's spouse or de-facto partner;for extended paid parental leave, supporting documentation in the form of an employment contract or letter toconfirm spouse's or de factor partner's full-time employment status and return date; and;an undertaking that for the period of paternity leave they will not engage in any conduct inconsistent with theiremployment contract, for example, engage in other paid employment.

V. ADOPTION LEAVE

(a) The Two Ways to Take Adoption Leave

If the eligibility criteria as defined below is met, adoption leave may be taken in two ways:

1. Short adoption leave - up to three weeks unbroken leave, consisting of one week paid leave and two weeks unpaidleave, starting from the date of placement of the child; and/or

2. Extended adoption leave - please refer to General Overview of Parental Leave provisions for details.

(b) Eligibility Criteria

The Company will provide paid adoption leave to permanent employees of Accenture Australia who are currently workingand not on leave without pay prior to the date the employee wishes to begin adoption leave.

To be eligible for adoption leave the employee must meet eligibility criteria as defined in the Maternity Leave - Eligibility

Criteria Section and the Paternity Leave - Eligibility Criteria Section.

(c) How to Apply for Short Adoption Leave and Extended Adoption Leave

To apply for adoption leave, employees must provide initial notice to their manager in writing within ten weeks, or as soonas reasonably practicable, of the adoption leave they intend to take.

At least six weeks prior to commencing short paid adoption leave or extended adoption leave, the employee is required toconfirm the expected date of his/her leave by submitting a leave application form via EPS to his/her project lead executive orworkgroup lead. Employees must also notify their HR Advisor and Career Counsellor and ensure that their absence isrecorded against the appropriate WBS element in their My Time and Expense report.

Employees are asked to provide the APSSC with details which include:

A statement from the adoption agency or another appropriate body of the expected date of placement of the child foradoption; or a statement from the appropriate government authority confirming that they are to have custody of thechild pending application for an adoption order.the first and last days of the adoption leave intended to be taken;the amount of any annual leave and long service leave the employee intends to use;confirmation as to whether the paid adoption leave will be taken for three months on full pay or six months on halfpay;confirmation that for the period of extended adoption leave, the employee will be caring for the child to whom theleave relates;particulars of the adoption leave to be taken by the employee's spouse or de facto; andan undertaking that for the period of the adoption leave they will not engage in any conduct inconsistent with theircontract of employment or the Company's policies, for example, undertaking other paid employment.

Should the planned adoption not proceed, the Company must be notified immediately. If the employee has alreadycommenced adoption leave, the Company will discuss a revised return to work arrangement with the employee.

VI. CALCULATION AND PAYMENT OF LEAVE

The paid parental leave will be calculated from the employee's total compensation package (i.e. inclusive of taxable salaryand superannuation etc.) Employees working on a part-time basis will receive the paid parental leave pro-rata in line withtheir part-time arrangements. Where an employee is on a period of unpaid leave at the time of requesting parental leave,then the parental leave will be unpaid.

Parental leave payments will be made on the usual pay dates for the duration of the paid leave.

The Company requests a clear commitment by the employee, signified by a signed declaration, to return to employmentwith the Company at the conclusion of the period of approved parental leave.

VII. RETURN TO WORK FOLLOWING PARENTAL LEAVE

Employees on parental leave must provide the Company with at least four week's notice in writing of their intent to return towork. Upon returning to work the employee is entitled to his/her former position, or, should that position no longer exist, aposition of equivalent salary, conditions and status.

All requests to return to work part-time will be considered. Details on how to request such arrangements are available viathe Australian Flexible Work Arrangements supplement 0047_C02. Employees requesting part-time employment shouldbe aware that due to business requirements, the Company may not be able to accommodate their request for part-timeemployment.

Employees should also consider other work arrangements available via the Australian Flexible Work Arrangementssupplement 0047_C02. Employees wishing to discuss return to work options should contact their Career Counsellor orHR Advisor for further assistance.

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SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION

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© 2001-2012 Accenture. All Rights Reserved. Accenture Confidential. For Internal Use Only.Terms of Use | Privacy Statement

Related Terminology:

There are no supporting documents for this policy.

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CONTACT INFORMATION

Questions related to this policy can be sent to apssc.hr.support@accenture.com, or phone +612 9005 3700.

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BACKGROUND / RATIONALE

Not applicable.

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