4.13 Travel
4.13.1 Absence by the Minister
When a Minister is absent from the State and/or not otherwise able to carry out their functions as a Minister, it is necessary that another Minister be appointed to act on their behalf.
Section 45 of the Constitution of Queensland 2001 provides that the Governor or Premier may, in writing, appoint a Minister to perform all or any of another Minister's functions and exercise all or any of another Minister's powers during that Minister's absence.
The Act provides that an appointment by the Premier may not be for a period of more than 14 days. In practice, the Governor authorises all delegations when a Minister is travelling overseas (including New Zealand and Papua New Guinea) even though the Minister's absence may be less than 15 days.
- When a Minister proposes to be absent, approval in the first instance must be obtained from the Premier.
- When seeking approval, the Minister is to nominate the Minister who is able and agrees to act in their stead during the proposed absence.
- This request for the Premier's approval should be made as soon as the Minister's proposed travel or absence is confirmed.
Upon receiving authorisation from the Premier, Constitution and Administrative Law Services, of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet will take the necessary action to prepare the Governor's or Premier's delegation, gazette the delegation and advise the affected Ministers and Departments accordingly.
Where another Minister is authorised to act for the Minister, represent the Minister or perform some functions or role in relation to a portfolio for which the absent Minister is responsible, and the acting Minister incurs expenses as a result, such expenses may be charged as though the Minister for whom the duties were undertaken had incurred the costs.
Authorising Expenditure
The Director of Ministerial Services has the delegated authority to temporarily approve expenditure of up to $100,000 on behalf of a Minister when that Minister is unavailable (eg. due to travel or illness) and the expenditure of the Minister requires processing.
Where practical, the Minister must personally authorise their own expenditure as soon as practical, but not more than 45 days after the Director of Ministerial Services has approved the expenditure on their behalf.
4.13.2 Air charter
Policy
Ministers are entitled to use charter aircraft for official purposes in circumstances where scheduled services and the Government aircraft are not available, or where to use scheduled services would not enable the Minister to keep an official commitment.
Twin engine aircraft should be used and Ministers should ensure that aircraft and pilots are rated for all-weather flying. However, where absolutely necessary, Ministers may be permitted to travel in single engine aircraft.
Suitable insurance coverage or indemnity must be arranged for Ministers when flying in a single engine aircraft or helicopter. (This is normally organised by the charter firm. Where not available, this will need to be organised by the Office of the Minister).
During an election campaign, special attention must be paid to ensuring that aircraft are not used for personal campaign purposes (except to the extent they are used for normal travel to and from the electorate)
Air charter should not become the regularly accepted form of transport and should only be used as a measure of last resort.
The cost of air charter is a charge against the Minister's Office.
The use of Government Aircraft should be considered as the first option for the charter of fixed wing aircraft. Any costs associated with the use of the Government aircraft will be charged in accordance with the 'Guidelines for the use of Government Aircraft for Official Transport'. All inquiries regarding the use of the Government Aircraft should be directed to the Queensland Government Air Wing (Ph: 3898 9500). See EXPENSES RELATING TO A MINISTER'S OFFICE - Government aircraft.
Procedures
Unless exceptional circumstances exist, Air Charter with a private company is to be arranged through the travel provider - QBT. If QBT is not able to be used then three (3) verbal or written quotes should be obtained, evaluated and the final decision documented.
Ministerial Offices have a travel contract with Qantas Business Travel (QBT) for all domestic travel.
QBT booking procedures and administration information can be found as an attachment to this Handbook (Appendix 17 (PDF, 96 KB)). Use of Virgin Blue and Alliance Air and Jetstar are encouraged where it is practical and cost effective.
Only in exceptional circumstances are domestic travel bookings to be made with another travel provider.
See
EXPENSES RELATING TO A MINISTER'S OFFICE:
4.13.4 Cash advances
Policy
Cash advances are provided for overseas travel and petty cash. Only in exceptional circumstances will cash advances be made available for other purposes, eg. allowances for a Ministerial Staff member relieving in a remote location.
Procedures
In exceptional circumstances contact Ministerial Services.
See EXPENSES RELATING TO A MINISTERS OFFICE - Overseas Travel and Petty Cash.
4.13.5 Domestic Travel
Policy
All domestic travel must be for the purposes of carrying out official duties and fulfilling official responsibilities in relation to the functions and activities of the Minister's portfolio or the Government. Travel for private purposes is not to be charged to the office. Private expenditure while travelling must not be incurred on an official credit facility.
Travel associated with election campaigns may be official in nature provided it is not used for personal campaign purposes.
Domestic travel expenditure must be approved by the Minister. However, allowance claims for the Premier's Office staff may be approved by the Chief of Staff. The Chief of Staff cannot appove their own allowance claims.
No travel insurance should be purchased. The Government self insures for domestic travel purposes.
Domestic travelling expenditure to be charged to the Office of the Minister will be official expenditure incurred whilst travelling within Australia by:
- the Minister;
- staff of the Minister (including consultants);
- guests of the Minister (whose attendance the Minister believes on reasonable grounds will assist in the performance of the relevant duties);
- partner of the Minister when:
- accompanying the Minister; or
- travelling separately to the Minister but attending the same function; or
- attending a function, conference or convention in lieu of the Minister; or
- attending a function, conference or convention in their own right as partner of the Minister.
Where Departmental officers accompany the Minister, costs in relation to those officers should be borne by the Department and should not be a charge against the Office of the Minister.
A Minister's partner may accompany the Minister where the Minister believes, on reasonable grounds, that the attendance of the partner will or may assist the Minister in the performance of the relevant official duties.
Travel costs include:
- airfares (excluding Air Charter)
- accommodation
- allowances (travel)
- meals (including beverages)
- taxis/car hire
- other (including official telecommunications, postage, laundry and/or dry cleaning where travel involves at least four (4) consecutive overnight stays)
The Minister, partner and Ministerial guests are only entitled to actual expenditure.
Staff may claim either actual expenditure or travel allowances. However, unless exceptional circumstances exist a combination of allowances and actuals expenditure may not be claimed on any one trip (base to base). Staff must note their responsibility not to claim:
- accommodation allowances where actual accommodation for the trip has been paid from a Government source; or
- meal allowances where any actual meal costs for the trip (including hospitality) have been met from any other Government source (eg. Business Travel Account or Department).
NB: Travel allowances will mirror the Department of the Premier and Cabinet allowances (see Appendix 1 - Travel (PDF, 18 KB))
Incidental Allowances
The overnight incidental allowances as detailed in Appendix 1 (PDF, 18 KB)
may be claimed for official travel by staff only.
Overnight incidental allowance is provided to cover items such as :
- newspapers, magazines;
- snacks including coffee, tea or drinks;
- personal items necessary for visit; and
- items and services for which receipts are unobtainable.
Claims for incidental allowance should be finalised before or as part of acquitting business travel accounts as all the necessary documents are available at this time. Claims made at a later date may result in the staff member being charged an administration fee for the excessive processing required.
Reasonable Limits
Class of Travel
Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries and Senior Advisors or equivalent, may travel Business Class whilst other officers are required to travel best fare economy class with the following exceptions:
- When an officer is accompanying another officer who is travelling Business Class then that officer may also travel Business Class.
- If the plane trip within Australia is in excess of three (3) hours airtime, then that officer may travel Business Class.
The above standards of travel should be seen as a maximum and officers are encouraged to travel best fare economy where possible.
Accommodation
When travelling, a Minister is entitled to a level of accommodation commensurate to their role. The specific nature of the accommodation should be determined by the functional requirements of the travel. For example, the use of a suite, or a room with adjoining conference facilities may be considered where formal hospitality or working meetings are conducted at the location.
Staff are entitled to a reasonable standard of accommodation when travelling, but should have regard to economy, functionality and other requirements.
Mini-Bar
Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries and Senior Advisors (or equivalent) may incur mini-bar costs to a maximum of $25 per day. This amount is non-accumulative.
This expenditure is to relate solely to use of mini-bars and excludes costs incurred in lounge or other hotel bars. These costs are personal in nature.
Mini-bar costs for other staff will be considered a personal expense.
Meals
A general limit for actual expenses incurred while travelling is as follows:
- Breakfast - $35 per person (meal and beverage)
- Lunch - $50 per person (meal and beverage)
- Dinner - $70 per person (meal and beverage)
If these rates are exceeded, the additional cost will be deemed to be personal unless details of the reason for higher costs are included in the expense claim approved by the Minister. (Eg: the average cost of main meals alone was $44 at the accommodation venue).
Procedures
QBT, as the current Travel Service Provider, is to be utilised for all domestic travel purposes unless a specific exemption is approved by Ministerial Services on the basis of business need.
Internet bookings direct with Qantas, Virgin Blue and Alliance Air are allowable. Contact Ministerial Services regarding payment.
Each Office will have a Business Travel Account.
It should be noted that all travel bookings for the Minister and his/her staff should be made through QBT by the Ministerial Office even when the Minister or staff are travelling with Departmental officers. The Department should organise travel arrangements for their staff separately through their own travel provider.
The following procedures apply for booking travel and associated costs:
- complete Travel Booking Form (pdf), include full details of purpose of travel;
- obtain approval of Minister or a Senior Advisor not travelling; and
- arrange booking with travel provider.
The Qantas Business Travel Account is an official credit facility and must not be used to incur private expenditure (eg. videos, lounge bar costs, etc.). On checkout, a guest copy of the account should be requested and any personal costs should be paid for privately.
The following procedures apply for acquitting or claiming travel and associated expenditure.
- Booking Forms prepared in any one month are to be forwarded to Ministerial Services by the end of the following month (eg. A Booking Form prepared in January 2005 would be to Ministerial Services by the end of February 2005).
- Business Travel Accounts will be forwarded monthly by Ministerial Services for verification. The account will have a nominated date of return to avoid late fees.
- On receipt, check that charges agree with the respective travel orders as per flights taken, accommodation booked and prices quoted.
- Verify that there has been no duplicate or incorrect charging by QBT or hotels. Any disputed amounts should be raised with QBT. Copies of any credit requests are to be forwarded to Ministerial Services with the monthly statement.
- Check that any credits for unused or returned air tickets are being credited to the account (these can take up to three months to come through).
- Identify all expenses incurred by the Minister on staff accounts and vice versa (for charging purposes).
- Identify any Departmental cost so that they may be recovered from the Department.
- Attach hospitality forms and other documentation as required.
- Acquitted accounts must be signed by the Minister and returned to Ministerial Services by the due date to avoid late fees.
Allowances are only claimable after appropriate documentation has been provided to Ministerial Services showing that the trip was undertaken and the days of the departure and return.
Where a Minister/Staff deviates from a direct route home for personal reasons, the Government would still meet airfares home, provided the cost did not exceed the costs that the Government would have been liable for if the Minister, staff had flown home as soon as official business was completed. Where the costs of travelling home exceed this amount, the additional amount is considered a personal cost.
Airline Club Memberships
Ministers and their partners are provided with complimentary memberships to the Qantas Chairman's Lounge. Parliamentary Secretaries retain their Qantas membership from Parliament House. Staff are not entitled to Qantas Club membership.
Other airline lounge membership is available on a one-off basis, or for a yearly fee. Ministers may utilise the lounge if they beleive it will assist in their official duties. This will be an official Ministerial expense. Ministers may incur the costs for yearly membership if they are regular users.
Examples
Travel to the electorate with the Minister by a Ministerial staff member to open a local school fete would not normally be allowable as a charge to the Office of the Minister as it has no portfolio connection.
Travel to Brisbane by a regionally based Minister's partner merely to spend time with the Minister will not be a sufficient reason for the travel costs to be allowable expenditure.
Travel by the Minister for Primary Industries to speak at a political function on Primary Industry policy and legislation would be allowable expenditure. See EXPENSES RELATING TO A MINISTER'S OFFICE - Political Party meetings.
Travel to Cairns by the Minister for Local Government and a Senior Advisor to have discussions with the Cairns City Council will generally be a charge to the Office of the Minister.
A Minister travels to a regional centre and meets with a Departmental representative over dinner at a restaurant. This does not constitute entertainment as there are only government representatives in attendance. However, unless exceptional circumstances exist, the Minister's costs will be allowable as a travel meal and the Departmental officer's costs should be met by the Department. (Ministerial Services can arrange for recovery of this portion from the Department.)
A Minister and staff member travel to Longreach for official business, and accommodation and some meals are charged to the Business Travel Account, but a number of meals are not charged to the Business Travel Account. The actual costs of travel, accommodation and all meals will be a charge to the Office of the Minister. The staff member will not be able to claim allowances for those meals not charged to the Business Travel Account, only actual costs incurred.
A staff member travels on official business and stays with friends or relatives. For travel allowances to be paid, all expenditure for accommodation or meals must be based on allowances.
See
EXPENSES RELATING TO A MINISTER'S OFFICE:
4.13.6 Frequent Flyer points
The utilisation of accrued frequent flyer points for future official travel is restricted to airline set terms and conditions but provides an opportunity for travel savings and is encouraged where feasible. Ministerial Services will manage monthly frequent flyer statements and forward them to the relevant Minister/Officer.
When it is operationally convenient, travel booking officers should redeem frequent flyer points when making travel bookings.
It should be noted however, that consistent with the provisions of the Members' Entitlements Handbook and Ministerial Staff Code of Conduct, frequent flyer points accrued as a result of official travel must not be personally availed of by the traveller.
Therefore all Ministers, Ministers' Partners, Parliamentary Secretaries and Ministerial Staff are required to complete a Declaration Form stating that any frequent flyer points accrued through official travel will not be used for personal gain. This is commonplace in most government departments and is a requirement of Public Service guidelines.
In addition all Ministers, Ministers' Partners, Parliamentary Secretaries and Ministerial Staff who have Corporate Membership will be required to sign a Re-Direction Form for their monthly airline activity statements to be redirected to Ministerial Services. Upon finishing employment in a Ministerial office a Re-Direction and Cancellation letter for accrued official frequent flyer points will need to be signed which will be forwarded to the airline for action.
Please note: This direction in no way impedes Ministers, Ministers' Partners, Parliamentary Secretaries or Ministerial staff from accruing and redeeming frequent flyer points on private travel.
Procedures
All Ministers, Ministers' Partners and Parliamentary Secretaries are to complete a Frequent Flyer Declaration Form, Re-Direction Form (if an existing Corporate Membership holder) and forward them to Ministerial Services when the Minister or Parliamentary Secretary officially takes up duty. Upon receipt of an application for Airline Club Membership, Ministerial Services will forward additional forms for signature.
All Ministerial Staff must also complete a Frequent Flyer Declaration Form and forward it to Ministerial Services on commencement of duty in a Ministerial Office.
Frequent Flyer points may be redeemed via the normal booking process with QBT. Travel Booking Officers will still be required to complete a Trip Requisition Form prior to redeeming points.
Promotional Schemes
Promotional schemes such as instant scratch-its for free overseas flights or lucky door prizes won at official functions should not be accepted personally as that would be inconsistent with provisions in the Members' Entitlements Handbook and the Ministerial Staff Code of Conduct.
4.13.7 Government Aircraft
The first call on Government aircraft, including helicopters, is for emergency tasks and community services operations such as medical evacuations, medical transfers and organ transplant flights.
When the aircraft are not being used for these purposes, they then become available for the Governor and Ministers for official purposes.
However, in all cases, the Governor's and Ministerial travel arrangements and itineraries should be based on the use of commercial aircraft, with consideration being given to the use of Government aircraft where no commercial services exist, or there are special requirements which preclude the use of commercial flights.
Ministerial staff should follow the procedures outlined in the 'Guidelines for the Use of Government Aircraft for Official Transport'. The cost of all accommodation and travelling expenses of the pilots is a charge to Ministerial Offices.
Any inquiries regarding the use of the Government Aircraft are to be directed to the Government Airwing on 3898 9500.
See EXPENSES RELATING TO A MINISTER'S OFFICE
4.13.8 Notification of movements by the Minister
The Minister's Office is to advise the Premier's Office by close of business on Thursday of each week, of the Minister's intended movements during the forthcoming week.
The advice is to include details of where the Minister can be contacted over the weekend, should this be necessary.
This information is required in order to co-ordinate the movement of Ministers around the State and also to ensure that Ministers are briefed (where necessary) on any matters pertaining to the area they are visiting.
4.13.9 Overseas Travel
Policy
All Overseas Travel must be for the purpose of carrying out official duties and fulfilling official responsibilities in relation to the functions and activities of the Minister's portfolio or the Government. Travel for private purposes is not to be charged to the office. Private expenditure while travelling must not be incurred on an official credit facility.
Approval
Official Delegation
All overseas travel must have the prior approval of the Premier. The submission for approval must incorporate:
- the objectives of the visit;
- the anticipated explicit benefit from the visit for the Department or portfolio related activity;
- the countries to be visited;
- the approximate length of travel;
- full details of accompanying persons whose costs are to be met from public funds;
- total estimated cost (estimates of airfares, accommodation, meals and other costs are to be provided);
- nomination of the Minister who is to act during the period of absence (or an acknowledgement that a nomination will be provided prior to travel); and
- all requests for recreation leave to be taken in conjunction with the trip.
Requests are to be provided six weeks prior to travel if possible. Urgent requests may be considered by the Premier on a case by case basis.
All requests for overseas travel and a draft itinerary are to be directed to the Premier's Office for approval then forwarded to Ministerial Services. If the submission requires further documentation to meet the requirements above, Ministerial Services will liaise directly with the Ministerial Office.
Travel by the Minister's Partner
Where travel by the Minister's partner is required, the submission for approval must also set out:
- the specific benefit to Queensland attributable to the partner travelling; and
- a separate detailed itinerary for the partner.
The Premier's approval must specifically authorise any travel by the Minister's partner.
Recreation leave whilst overseas
Ministers or staff when travelling overseas may take recreation leave provided all the following conditions are met:
- the official trip is of a period in excess of one week;
- that the period of leave is generally not to exceed a period of two weeks (ie. ten working days) in any twelve month period. The Premier may approve longer periods;
- there are no additional costs to the Government; and
- the prior approval of the Premier is obtained.
Ministerial Services must be advised in writing of any leave to be taken prior to the commencement of the trip.
Credit Cards
Ministers and staff may be issued with a credit card for overseas use only. These cards will be issued by Ministerial Services immediately prior to travel and must be returned to Ministerial Services for storage immediately after travel.
The request for overseas travel approval (see above) should include any requirements for additional credit cards for the Minister or staff. (eg. the Minister may require a Visa card as a back up for certain countries).
Expenditure
Overseas travelling expenditure to be charged to the Office of the Minister will be official expenditure incurred overseas by:
- the Minister;
- staff of the Minister (including consultants);
- partner of the Minister, whether accompanying the Minister or travelling separately to the Minister but attending the same function or attending a function, conference or convention in lieu of the Minister or in their own right as partner of the Minister. Costs associated with the attendance of a Minister's partner, when not accompanied by the Minister, at a party political function would not be chargeable as an expense of the Office of the Minister; and
- guests of the Minister (whose attendance the Minister believes on reasonable grounds will assist in the performance of the relevant duties).
Where Departmental Officers accompany the Minister, the costs in relation to those officers should be borne by those Departments and should not be a charge against the Office of the Minister.
Travel costs include:
- airfares
- accommodation
- allowances (travel)
- meals (incl. beverages)
- taxis/car hire
- other (incl. official telecommunications, postage, laundry, dry cleaning, excess baggage, insurance, tips, and porterage)
Ministers and staff are entitled to claim an incidental allowance for overseas travel (see
Appendix 1 - Allowances - Travel (html text only) to cover items such as:
- newspapers, magazines;
- snacks including coffee, tea or drinks;
- personal items necessary for visit; and
- items and services for which receipts are unobtainable.
Allowances are only claimable after appropriate documentation (eg. a signed itinerary) has been provided to Ministerial Services showing the final details of the trip that was undertaken. (Refer to Procedures - Acquittal of Advance)
Report to Parliament
A written report on overseas travel undertaken is to be tabled in Parliament by the Minister within one month of their return. A copy of the tabled report is to be provided to Ministerial Services either prior to, or as soon as possible after tabling.
This report is to detail the benefits obtained from overseas travel in addition to the details in the approval section (above), excluding any requests for recreation leave. Note that the total estimated cost of the travel is to be included in the report and/or the actual costs are to be reported in the Public Report of Ministerial Office Expenses which is currently required to be presented to Parliament on a six monthly basis in accordance with Section 3.9 of this Handbook.
Reasonable Limits
Class of Travel
Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries may travel First Class. Other officers are required to travel Business Class unless the officer is accompanying the Minister or Parliamentary Secretary who is travelling First Class, in which case the officer may also travel First Class.
The above standards of travel should be seen as a maximum standard and travellers are encouraged to economise where practical.
Accommodation
When travelling, a Minister is entitled to a level of accommodation commensurate to their role. The specific nature should be determined by the functional requirements of the travel. For example, the use of a suite, or a room with adjoining conference facilities may be considered where formal hospitality or working meetings are conducted at the location.
Officers are entitled to a reasonable standard of accommodation when travelling, but should have regard to economy, functionality and other requirements.
Mini-Bar
Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries and Senior Advisors (and equivalent) may incur mini-bar costs to a maximum of $25 per day. This amount is non-accumulative. This expenditure is to relate solely to use of mini-bars and excludes costs incurred in lounge or other hotel bars. These costs are personal in nature.
Mini-bar costs for other staff will be considered a personal expense.
Procedures
Booking Procedures
Once the Premier's approval is obtained, Offices should book travel and accommodation through HRG.
It should be noted that all travel bookings for the Minister and his/her staff should be made through HRG by the Ministerial office even when the Minister or staff are travelling with Department officers. The Department should organise travel arrangements for their staff separately through their own travel provider.
Private Expenditure
Official credit cards must not be used to incur private expenditure (eg. videos, lounge bar costs, etc.). When overseas, on checkout an account will be provided to all travellers for payment by credit card. Any personal costs should be paid for separately at this time. All documentation should be retained for acquittal purposes.
Travel Insurance
A travel insurance policy is in place for all official overseas trips. No additional travel insurance is required. Ministerial Services should be contacted for details.
Cash Advances
Cash advances shall only be in the form of travellers' cheques or foreign currency. Requests for either travellers' cheques or foreign cash must be made to Ministerial Services at least five (5) days prior to departure. Any special needs in terms of the advance, time and place for delivery and signing of the travellers cheques, should be included.
Acquittal of Advance
The full acquittal of advances must occur within two (2) weeks of return. If a full acquittal of the advance is not able to occur within this time frame the Office must advise Ministerial Services of the reason and expected date of acquittal. Before the acquittal can be finalised, the following must be forwarded to Ministerial Services:
- diary or final itinerary of trip signed by the Minister;
- appropriate signed and completed Hospitality forms;
- travellers' cheques counter-signed;
- slips showing currency exchange rates where currency was changed (eg. US dollars to Hong Kong dollars);
- reconciliation of expenditure against the advance; and
- all supporting documentation (eg. receipts, etc.) for expenditure incurred from the advance.
See EXPENSES RELATING TO A MINISTER'S OFFICE -Domestic Travel
Acquittance of Credit Card Accounts
See EXPENSES RELATING TO A MINISTER'S OFFICE - Credit Cards
4.13.10 Passports
Policy
In line with requirements determined by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), official passports issued to staff of Brisbane-based Offices are to be held for safe keeping by Ministerial Services when they are not required for travel.
Official passports for staff of regional Offices may be stored in a secure location in the regional Office for administrative convenience.
Passports issued to Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries will not be required to be held by Ministerial Services. However, they may be forwarded to Ministerial Services for safe keeping if the Minister or Parliamentary Secretary desires.
Lost passports need to be reported immediately to DFAT and Ministerial Services.
Procedures
Ministerial Offices are to make application to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) for the issue of Official/Diplomatic passports where necessary. Forms are available from Ministerial Services. Ministerial Services should be contacted regarding the application and will provide payment and a sponsorship letter as required by DFAT.
Application costs for official passports will be a charge to the Office of the Minister. Upon receipt of a staff passport, it should be forwarded to Ministerial Services for safe keeping if travel is not imminent.
Ministerial Services will maintain a register of official passports including expiry dates and will notify officers on a quarterly basis of passports due to expire in the coming twelve (12) months.
Official passports, held by Ministerial Services will be available for collection once the Premier's approval to travel overseas is received by Ministerial Services.
Official passports should be returned to Ministerial Services within two (2) weeks of returning to Australia or at the time of acquitting travel advances.
In accordance with advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ministers may utilise Diplomatic passports for private travel if they believe they may be required to represent the State.
4.13.11 Travel to and from the Electorate (office or home)
Travel
The costs incurred by the Minister, or partner of the Minister when travelling to or from the Minister's Electorate for the conducting of, or at the conclusion of, Ministerial business are a charge against the Office of the Minister.
So that Ministers with regional electorates are not disadvantaged in meeting electorate responsibilities, travel to and from the electorate will be treated as official expenditure and charged against the Office of the Minister subject to the following:
- official Ministerial business at the centre from which the Minister is travelling must be completed; and
- travel must be by the most direct, practicable, and cost effective route.
Costs are to cover the return of the Minister to their principal place of residence or Electorate Office.
Procedures
Where travel is booked through Qanatas Business Travel the procedures for EXPENSES RELATING TO A MINISTER'S OFFICE - Domestic Travel or Air Charter should be consulted.
Meals on weekends
Regionally based Ministers may seek reimbursement of actual expenses when they incur meal costs while performing official duties in Brisbane and are staying at Parliament House over the weekend.
Where a partner stays at Parliament House over the weekend with the Minister, meal claims for the partner will only be payable where there is a direct connection with official duties.
Reimbursements will be available for times when Parliamentary Catering is closed (i.e. Saturday and Sunday).
Actual costs will be reimbursed up to the following limits which are based on allowance rates set out under the Directive for travel meals.
- Breakfast $21.10
- Lunch $23.65
- Dinner $40.65
Procedures
Meal claims should be lodged using an expenditure voucher. Receipts for expenditure must be attached together with some document to evidence the official nature of the stay (eg. A copy/summary of the Minister's diary for the period).
Last reviewed: 17 July, 2009
Last updated: 22 July, 2009
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