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2025 end of year closedown dates
The University will be closed from Monday 22 December 2025 to Monday 5 January 2026 inclusive.
The University is providing a total of four (4) University holidays. In addition four (4) days will need to be taken as directed annual leave days alongside the public holidays. The calendar of dates is below.
With the implementation of the new MyHR system in mid-October, we are encouraging all academic, professional, teaching and senior staff to book their directed leave in HROnline and ensure it is approved by their manager by 19 September 2025. Further information about the MyHR project will be provided separately.
Any leave not approved in HROnline by 19 September, will be processed by Human Resource Services on your behalf prior to the rollover to the MyHR system.
If you have insufficient annual leave available, you may apply for an advance of your annual leave entitlement, or use long service leave if available, or unpaid leave. Please note that the use of life leave, personal/carers leave or flexitime during the closedown period is not permitted.
If you work in a critical role that requires an exemption to work during the end of year closedown, please submit your exemption request via email to your Supervisor for College Pro Vice-Chancellor or Division Head ‘in principle’ approval by no later than 28 November 2025. Final approval will be granted by the Vice-Chancellor. Academic staff are reminded that they are no longer required to request a credit to defer leave into the following year. I encourage you to book your leave and discuss your leave plan for 2025/2026 with your Head of School if required.
HR Services has prepared Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to support you in making your bookings. If you have any further questions, please contact HR Client Services via ServiceNOW.
Frequently asked questions
The table above shows the breakdown. When you book from 22 December to 5 January inclusive, the system will automatically deduct annual leave on the days you are usually scheduled to work, excluding the University holidays (also referred to as concession days) and public holidays or if you are usually rostered to work on Monday 22, Tuesday 23, Wednesday 24 and Monday 5 January the system will deduct annual leave for those days only.
No, the University Holiday dates are already in the system and HR Services has reviewed and rebooked any existing bookings accordingly.
Your existing leave bookings will be migrated to the new system after 19 September, so you do not need to rebook these once MyHR goes live in October.
You will receive further information on how to complete leave bookings in MyHR in the next few weeks.
Please ensure new starters are aware of our closedown dates and the requirement to take directed leave during this time. Should an insufficient leave balance be available then annual leave in advance may be requested and approved or unpaid leave can be taken.
Any new staff joining in 2026 should commence no earlier than Monday 12 January 2026.
You can agree with your supervisor to do a combination of leave (to whatever balance you have) such as:
- Annual leave or Long Service Leave
- Leave without pay or purchased leave (complete the Unpaid leave application ServiceNow Form)
- Go into negative leave (Request this via Get HR advice or help ServiceNow Form)
Only time-critical research/research support and essential operational work such as facilities and IT maintenance will be approved to work during the break. You must request an exemption via email to your supervisor for their ‘in principal’ approval. Your supervisor will then need to seek College Pro Vice-Chancellor (PVC) or Divisional Head approval, before final approval will be considered by the Vice-Chancellor. Booking an exemption in HROnline or MyHR is no longer available.
Exemption requests must be submitted to your manager and approved by your PVC/Divisional Head no later than 28 November 2025.
HRS will supply College and Divisional offices with a spreadsheet template for recording the exemption requests for the PVC and Divisional Heads for their ‘in-principle’ approval. These are to be submitted to the Chief People and Culture Office by 28 November, who will coordinate the submission to the Vice-Chancellor for final approval.
Once VC approval has been obtained, managers can advise those staff to reverse annual leave for the days the exemption has been granted. Staff may need to complete a new leave booking for those days they are not required to work. Supervisors should only approve leave reversals once the exemption has been approved. Noting if the leave is booked by HR it will be booked as individual days and only the days directed to work need to be reversed.
Should staff reverse leave without an exemption approved, HRS will process a leave booking again for those directed leave dates.
Example:
I am required to work on Monday 22 and Tuesday 23 December. My manager has advised me that my PVC/Divisional Head and the Vice-Chancellor have approved me to work on these dates. I need to delete my annual leave booking for the period 22 December to 5 January and my manager will approve the leave reversal. I will then rebook annual leave for Wednesday 24 December to Monday 5 January.
No, the simplest way to establish a leave plan is by making future bookings in MyHR once the new system is live from October. You do not need to create a leave plan document unless you and your supervisor agree this is the best way to forward plan your leave. Modifications can be made to the bookings if your plans change in 2026.
Yes, this is possible once your supervisor has approved the annual leave reversal. Leave reversals will only be approved by supervisors for LSL or unpaid leave. Reversals will not be approved to convert leave to life leave or flexitime.
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.