Section J - Travel

Updated: 6 December 2016

54 Travel allowance

54.1 The AEC will meet the costs of travel on official business approved by the Electoral Commissioner.

54.2 A travel allowance to cover the costs of meal(s) and incidental expenses that may be incurred is payable to an Employee who undertakes approved travel on official business and who is required to be absent from home overnight.

54.3 Where an Employee will be accommodated in private, non-commercial, accommodation, such as the home of a family member or friend, the rate of accommodation allowance paid will be one third of the accommodation rate otherwise payable.

54.4 An Employee who is required to be absent from the city/town that is their usual place of work on official business for a period of not less than 10 hours, but is not absent overnight, will be paid a part day travel allowance of $50.00.

54.5 In addition to the allowance otherwise payable, the Electoral Commissioner may approve the reimbursement of any reasonable expenses, actually and necessarily incurred while undertaking official travel.

54.6 Rates of travel allowance will be paid with reference to the rates advised by the relevant subscription service.

54.7 Where the Electoral Commissioner authorises an employee to use their private vehicle for official business purposes, the Electoral Commissioner may approve payment of a motor vehicle allowance, with reference to the rates advised by the relevant subscription service, capped at the cost of the lowest practical fare of the day of travel.

55 Domestic travel outside bandwidth

55.1 Travel time on official business will be undertaken within bandwidth hours unless otherwise approved by the Electoral Commissioner.

55.2 Where an Employee at the APS1–6 Classification or equivalent is required to undertake travel on official business, all hours travelled may be recorded as hours of work. Ordinarily, this travel time will be regarded as flextime on an hour-for-hour basis in accordance with clause 31 unless clause 36 applies.

55.3 Time spent travelling by EL Employees on official business will not be compensated under this clause.

55.4 Compensation for time travelling may be considered as overtime where:

  1. the travel is undertaken by an APS Level Employee; and
  2. the travel is at the direction of the AEC; and
  3. the Employee has received prior approval for overtime from the Electoral Commissioner.

56 Overseas travel

56.1 Subject to clauses 56.3 and 56.4, an Employee who undertakes travel overseas on official business will be paid overseas travel allowance, which is set with reference to the Australian Taxation Office "Taxation Ruling Income Tax: reasonable amounts for the current year".

56.2 The Electoral Commissioner may approve the reimbursement of additional receipted expenses where the amount received as overseas travel allowance is demonstrably inadequate.

56.3 Where an Employee travels overseas on behalf of another organisation, the entitlements will be as agreed between the Electoral Commissioner and the other organisation.

56.4 The Electoral Commissioner may determine other conditions of service for Employees working overseas on a long term posting. This will be based on the principle of covering all reasonable expenses incurred while undertaking AEC business.

57 Dependant care while travelling

57.1 Subject to prior approval by the Electoral Commissioner and satisfactory Evidence, an Employee may be reimbursed for reasonable and additional costs incurred for Dependant care arrangements where the AEC requires an Employee to be away from home outside of normal working hours or to travel on official business.

57.2 This clause applies to Employees travelling overseas, interstate or intrastate but does not include circumstances where an Employee is working or travelling within the city or region that is their usual place of work.

58 Clothing allowance

58.1 An Employee who is required to travel on official business, for periods of at least seven days, and no longer than six months, to a locality that the Electoral Commissioner determines has a climate greatly different from that of their usual place of work may claim up to $106.00 for expenditure on clothing once every three years for travel to the same or similar location.