Winter has well and truly arrived — and so has cold and flu season — meaning some of us may need time off to care for ourselves or a loved one.
Workplaces often require evidence for sick or carer's leave, so what are your options for getting that?
When do you need a medical certificate?
According to the Fair Work Ombudsman, an employer can ask an employee to provide evidence showing they took leave because they were:
Unable to work because of illness or injury, or
Needed to provide care or support to an immediate family or household member because of illness, injury or an emergency
This can be for as little as one day or part of a day off work, and an employee who does not supply documentation may not be entitled to be paid for their sick or carer's leave.
However, Shae McCrystal, professor of Law at the University of Sydney Law School, on the traditional lands of the Gadigal people, says medical evidence is not always required for personal leave, and employees should familiarise themselves with their workplace's enterprise agreements and industrial awards.
The Fair Work Ombudsman says: "While there are no strict rules on what type of evidence needs to be given, the evidence has to convince a reasonable person that the employee was genuinely entitled to the sick or carer's leave."
Getting a medical certificate from a GP
Visiting a fully bulk-billing doctor for a free consultation is an efficient and cost-effective way to get a medical certificate.
However, recent surveys by ABC News and the Royal Australian College of GPs show fewer than 10 per cent of GPs exclusively bulk-bill patients, with average out-of-pocket costs to see a GP ranging from about $40 to $55.
Securing a GP appointment at short notice can also be difficult, especially for Australians living in regional and remote areas.
Using telehealth services
Booking a telehealth appointment can be a convenient way of securing a medical certificate, particularly if you are physically unable to get to a doctor or cannot secure an appointment.
These appointments are offered via video or phone, and patients who use a telehealth service are generally directed to a short questionnaire and then assessed by an Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency-approved health practitioner.
Costs of telehealth consultations can vary, with some costing less than $20, but according to Queensland Health, a telehealth appointment "should cost the same as an in-person appointment".
Pharmacy-issued absence-from-work certificates
Pharmacists can also issue absence-from-work certificates for a range of minor ailments within the scope of their practice.
The cost of a pharmacy-issued absence-from-work form usually ranges from $20 to $35 for a single-day certificate, and Pharmacy Guild of Australia's Victoria vice-president Anthony Tassone says they can be issued for illnesses such as cold and flu, diarrhoea or migraines and severe headaches, for example.
"[Illness where] they're not well enough to work, but it should resolve soon," Mr Tassone says.
Statutory declarations for sick or carer's leave
The Fair Work Ombudsman says statutory declarations are also an acceptable form of evidence for sick or carer's leave.
Although there is no cost involved in getting a statutory declaration (stat dec), it has historically involved downloading and printing the form, filling out facts that you declare to be true and accurate, and having the document signed by a witness such as a justice of the peace.
However, under legislative changes that came in early 2024, it is now possible to make commonwealth stat decs using your Digital Identity by creating a myGovID and attaching it to your myGov account.
Australian National University professor of law and regulation Veronica Taylor says digital and paper stat decs "have exactly the same effect".
