Seems all that is necessary for those who want to have their Qantas VR Offer treated concessionally by the ATO is for the ATO Commissioner approve what Qantas is intending to offer accepted as an Approved Early Retirement Scheme.
FYI
Approved early retirement schemes
An approved early retirement scheme is a scheme that an employer puts into place to encourage certain groups or class of employees to retire early or resign.
Early retirement scheme payments are tax free, up to a limit based on the number of years the employee has worked for their employer. Any amount over the tax-free limit is treated as an employment termination payment. The tax-free limit is a flat dollar amount, plus an amount for each year of completed service with that employer. Indexation changes the tax-free limit on 1 July each year. For employees to be entitled to get the special concessional tax rates, the Commissioner of Taxation must approve the scheme before payments are made.
Payments that can be included:
• payment in lieu of notice
• severance payment of a number of weeks' pay for each year of service
• a gratuity or 'golden handshake'
• lump sum payments of unused long service leave paid on termination of employment, but not under a formal arrangement.
Payments that are not included:
• salary, wages or allowances owing to the employee, for work done or leave already taken for work completed
• lump sum payments of unused annual leave or leave loading paid on termination of employment
• lump sum payments of unused long service leave paid on termination of employment under a formal arrangement.
Conditions for payment:
• The payment is more than the amount the employer would have paid to you, if you voluntarily resigned or retired in other circumstances.
• The termination of employment is before you turn 65 and earlier than the date you would have left your employment anyway.
• Your employer does not have any agreement with another person to re-employ you.
• If you are related to the employer in some way, the payment is not more than it would have been if you were not related (known in tax law as dealing with each other at 'arm's length').
• The Commissioner of Taxation has approved the early retirement scheme.
Source:
https://www.ato.gov.au/Individuals/W...ement-schemes/
Happy days for those intending to go.