TRAVELLING ALLOWANCE POLICY TELECOM

TRAVELLING ALLOWANCE POLICY

      STATUS: Old Policy


  UPDATED TO: Policy was mainly replaced on 1-9-97


    COMMENTS: This is the Policy as published by Telecom. It is


UNDER CONSTRUCTION

DO NOT USE AS ERRORS


EMPLOYEE TRAVEL COSTS ALLOWANCE POLICY

GENERAL PRINCIPLES

Where, upon approval, an employee is absent from home overnight 
whilst travelling on duty, or whilst on short term transfer (ie 
less than 3 months) at another work location, the employee will be 
eligible to be reimbursed for costs actually incurred for 
accommodation, meals and incidentals in the form of a flat "per 
night" rate of allowance.

Before being eligible for payment of this allowance:

1. Employees on short term transfer are expected to be absent from 
home for up to 12 hours, provided

2. Unreasonable work or travel stress does not result.


In certain circumstances:

Overnight absences may be approved where daily travel on a short 
term transfer is for periods of less than 12 hours; or

Daily travel absences from home to temporary work location may 
exceed 12 hours by agreement between the delegate and the 
employee, or

The allowance may be payable whilst working at headstation.


To limit the social impact of employees being away from family and 
friends for extended periods, Telstra will, where practicable, pay 
for the weekly weekend return visits of employees to their home.
Where weekly return visits or return visits of other intervals are 
impracticable, Telstra will pay for the return of employees to 
their home every fourth weekend regardless of cost.











EMPLOYEE TRAVEL COSTS ALLOWANCE POLICY
RESPONSIBILITIES

Delegate

1. Before authorisation is given to travel in accordance with the 
general principles;

Considering alternative arrangements to the transfer of an 
employee as part of their resource management responsibilities;
Considering whether the transfer will, or is likely to, extend 
beyond 3 months;
Evaluating the cost effectiveness of daily travel vs travel costs 
allowance payment;
Making a balanced judgement whether an employee would be required 
to be absent overnight for operational reasons having regard to 
all factors including:

   normal period of absence from home and mode of travel at 
headstation   amount of additional travelling time involved   the duration of the transfer   traffic and road conditions   health and safety of employees   prevailing weather conditions   the suitability/availability of temporary accommodation   urgency of projects and operational requirements2. Once satisfied that overnight travel/absence should be 
approved;Authorising the period of transfer in the approved corporate 
format;
Authorising the mode of travel to and from the temporary work 
location;
Determining the employee's return home arrangements for the period 
of transfer;
Advising the employee of their rostered return home arrangements 
prior to transfer and arranging advance payment of the allowance 
where requested by the employee
In borderline cases, detailing the reasons for decision for audit 
purposes

3. At the conclusion of the period of transfer;

Ensuring the employee has submitted an allowance claim for the 
approved period of transfer in order to recover any outstanding 
advance amount;
Approving claims once satisfied that the employee was absent in 
accordance with the approved travel arrangements and that 
associated costs have actually been incurred.

Employee

To be eligible for payment of travel costs allowance the employee 
must:

Be authorised to travel by the delegate;
Be absent overnight in accordance with the approved travel 
arrangements;
Actually incur costs directly associated with the period of 
travel;
Submit a claim for the allowance to the delegate within one month 
of the conclusion of their transfer.

EMPLOYEE TRAVEL COSTS ALLOWANCE

OPERATIONAL POLICY

1. PURPOSE

This document prescribes the Corporate Travel Costs Allowance 
policy for operational application purposes.

2. SCOPE

This policy applies to award based employees within Telstra unless 
otherwise provided for in their employment contracts.

This policy applies only to travel within Australia and it 
territories.

This policy applies to employees on short term transfers for 
periods of up to three months (13 weeks).

The principles prescribed in the previous Telstra Travelling 
Allowance Policy will continue to apply to all medium/longer term 
transfers longer than, or likely to extend beyond three months, 
until reviewed.

This policy does not apply to employees who are transferred at 
their own request.

3. AUTHORITY

This policy replaces the Telstra Travelling Allowance Policy in 
its entirety other than for those employees on medium/longer term 
transfers.

This policy will take effect from 1 September 1997.

4. DELEGATIONS

The authority to approve short term transfers, subsequent travel 
costs allowance claims and fixation of home and headstation can be 
found in the relevant Business Unit delegations.

5. POLICY

Where, upon approval, an employee is absent from home overnight
whilst travelling on duty, or whilst on short term transfer (ie
less than 3 months) at another work location, the employee will be 
eligible to be reimbursed for costs actually incurred for
accommodation, meals and incidentals in the form of a flat "per 
night" rate of allowance.
===new para



Before being eligible for payment of this allowance:

1. Employees on short term transfer are expected to be absent from 
home for up to 12 hours, provided
2. Unreasonable work or travel stress does not result.

In certain circumstances:

 Overnight absences may be approved where daily travel on a short 
term transfer is for periods of less than 12 hours; or
 Daily travel absences from home to temporary work location may 
exceed 12 hours by agreement between the delegate and the 
employee, or
 The allowance may be payable whilst working at headstation.

To limit the social impact of employees being away from family and 
friends for extended periods, Telstra will, where practicable, pay 
for the weekly weekend return visits of employees to their home. 
Where weekly return visits or return visits of other intervals are 
impracticable, Telstra will pay for the return of employees to 
their home every fourth weekend regardless of cost.

6. ELIGIBILITY

Employees are eligible for travel costs allowance where an 
authorised transfer from home extends overnight and costs directly 
associated with the period of travel are incurred. As a general 
principle there is no entitlement to travel costs allowance if 
absent from home but not headstation, however in some 
circumstances the delegate may approve payment of travel costs 
allowance whilst the employee is working at headstation. In cases 
where travel costs allowance is paid whilst the employee is 
working at headstation, the allowance should not normally be paid 
for a period longer than one week.

The determination of home and headstation should not be artificial 
or contrived to ensure a travel costs allowance entitlement.

An authorised transfer is one which:

Is approved by the delegate in the standard corporate format;
Authorises the employee to enter into accommodation at the 
temporary work location, whilst in transit to or from this 
location or, in certain circumstances, at headstation;
Details the rostered return to home arrangements during the term 
of the transfer; and
Remains effective for the duration of the transfer unless varied 
by the delegate.






7. RATE OF ALLOWANCE

The rates of travel costs allowance are reviewed by a Joint 
Council Sub Committee for Travelling Allowance in May and December 
each year. Current rates appear at Appendix A.

These rates are considered as being "reasonable" by the Australian 
Taxation Office. Telstra is not therefore required to deduct 
income tax or disclose payments on employee group certificates.

8. CAPITAL CITY/ELSEWHERE DEFINITION

Melbourne50km radius of GPOSydney029 telephone codeBrisbaneAs defined by Brisbane City CouncilAdelaide088 telephone codePerth089 telephone codeHobartAustralian Standard Geographical Classification DarwinN/ACanberraN/AElsewhereAny location other than the above 9. PAYMENTSProvided costs are actually incurred, an eligible employee is 
entitled to travel costs allowance at the daily rate prescribed in 
Appendix A, for each overnight absence from home and headstation, 
travelling to or whilst at the temporary work location or, in 
certain circumstances, whilst working at their headstation.

Employees are not entitled to travel costs allowance payments for:

Part days, or where an overnight absence from home is not 
involved;
Overnight absences away from home when rostered to return home;
Beyond, or likely to exceed a continuous period of three months at 
a single temporary work location

Delegates must only approve claims for travel costs allowance 
where they are satisfied that:

They have authorised the travel arrangements; and
The employee has actually spent the night/s away in accordance 
with the approved travel arrangements; and
Associated costs have actually been incurred.





Delegates may approve claims for travel costs allowance, for a 
period not normally greater than one week, where an employee is 
working at their headstation and the employee's home has been 
closed for an indefinite period due to a previous temporary 
transfer. The period of one week is considered sufficient time to 
allow the employee to arrange reconnection of utility services 
thus enabling them to return home and travel daily to their 
headstation.

Employees unable to secure suitable overnight hotel/motel style 
accommodation due to the location and nature of their work and who 
are not covered by the conditions of the Telstra Camping Allowance 
Policy, are required to make a subsidy of 10% of the applicable 
daily rate of allowance to contribute to the acquisition, repairs 
and maintenance of Telstra equipment provided to assist with 
employees living conditions in these situations.

Travel costs allowance claims are to be submitted for payment to 
Employee Relations Service Operations in the corporate standard 
format immediately upon the conclusion of the transfer or 
fortnightly pay period. In order for payment to be made, claims 
must be accompanied by a travel authority that corresponds to, or 
encompasses, the claim period.

10. PERIODICAL RETURN TO HOME

Telstra is mindful of the social impact of employee being away 
from family and friends for extended periods.

Delegates approving short transfers will therefore attempt to 
organise work rosters to ensure that all employees have the 
opportunity to return home on weekends, except where the distances 
or remoteness of the temporary work location make it impractical 
or unsafe to do so.

Employees travelling on a continuing basis (ie over weekends 
and/or public holidays) shall be subject to an approved roster 
which must detail the weekends that they are to return home.

The determination of home and headstation should not be artificial 
or contrived to ensure a travel costs allowance entitlement.

In developing the roster, the delegate shall take into account:

Where employees are working in a group the return home roster will 
apply to the group as a whole;
The practicality of returning employees to home, having regard to 
the savings in travel costs allowance and the cost of vehicles, 
fares, excess travelling time, overtime or any other cost involved 
over the period of the roster;
The health, safety and work performance factors associated with 
travel to and from home;=====
The general wishes of the work group.


The following principles will also apply:

Remote area packages (rosters) for Network Design & Construction 
employees will still be available;
========
Telstra will pay for the cost of transport and any excess 
travelling time or overtime involved in travel from and to the 
temporary work location where applicable;
A Telstra vehicle must be driven by a licensed employee where 
available for use;
An employee will be entitled and expected to return home, every 
fourth weekend of a short term transfer, regardless of cost, 
provided they had not returned home at Telstra expense at any time 
during the previous four weeks;
In developing the return home roster, the delegate shall have the 
discretion as to whether the employee's costs should be paid for 
travel between headstation to home and return.

This policy does not seek to prevent employees from returning home 
at weekends in their own time/expense where it is determined that 
it is not practicable for Telstra to pay for their return. In 
these circumstances travel costs allowance is not payable for the 
period the employee is absent overnight from their temporary work 
location.

Telstra will not authorise an employee's return home where travel 
involved may affect the employee's work performance, health and/or 
safety.

Telstra will not partially pay for an employee's return home.

11. ADVANCE OF ALLOWANCE

The delegate may grant an employee covered under this policy an 
advance payment of 100% of the amount likely to be payable for 
travel costs allowance in order to meet immediate travel costs. No 
greater than 4 weeks travel costs allowance should be advanced at 
any stage.

In order for any advance payment to be acquitted a travel costs 
allowance claim will be required to be submitted by the employee 
within one month of the end of the period of travel to which the 
advance payment relates.

An advance payment will be recovered in full from the employees 
salary, if 

after the one month period mentioned in the previous paragraph has 
elapsed; and
the delegate and employee have been formally notified that the 
advance is still outstanding; and
agreement has not been previously reached between the delegate and 
the employee to a recovery rate; and

the advance is not, as soon as practicable, acquitted by a claim.




12. TEMPORARY WORK LOCATION ACCOMMODATION

Employees on short term transfer should, upon arrival at their 
destination, endeavour to secure reasonable standard accommodation 
appropriate to the duration of their transfer and within 
reasonable proximity to their work location.

Employees may choose accommodation as they wish, however, any 
accommodation entered into must take into account the daily 
allowance rate applicable to that work location and should not as 
a general principle give rise to a claim for insufficient 
allowance.

A list of discount accommodation establishments is attached at 
Appendix B. These accommodation providers will provide discounted 
accommodation rates for business as well as private use of Telstra 
employees and their immediate families. These are Telstra 
customers and therefore it is expected that employees support 
these businesses.

13. INSUFFICIENT OR EXCESSIVE ALLOWANCE

Where the delegate is satisfied that the payment allowable to the 
employee for the duration of the short term transfer is 
insufficient to cover expenses that have been, or are likely to be 
reasonably incurred, the delegate may authorise payment in excess 
of the prescribed daily rate.

Each claim for payment of increased allowance must be fully 
supported by receipts/supporting documentation that itemise the 
amounts expended on accommodation and subsistence.

The costs incurred over the full period of travel to which the 
claim relates must be greater than the amount of travel costs 
allowance paid for the same period in order to establish an 
eligibility for additional allowance.

Where the delegate is satisfied that the amount allowable to the 
employee for the duration of the short term transfer is excessive, 
the delegate may direct that the employee be reimbursed actual 
costs incurred, in lieu of the daily allowance, to meet the 
employee's travel expenses.

14. HEADSTATION DEFINITION

Headstation is defined as "the place at which an employee 
ordinarily performs duty or, in the case of an employee who does 
not ordinarily perform duty at any one place, the place at which 
the employee is ordinarily required to report for duty".

A headstation must be determined by the delegate when an employee 
is recruited, transferred or promoted into a work assignment. For 
the purposes of application of this policy a notional headstation 
(normally capital cities or provincial towns) is required to be 
defined for employees who perform normal duties at temporary work 
locations and are seldom, if ever, required to work at their 
notional headstation. Headstation is regarded as home for the 
purposes of employees with no fixed home address.
Where upon recruitment, transfer or promotion:

an employee's home and headstation is determined; and 
this determination would not normally give an entitlement to 
travel costs allowance when working at headstation; and
the employee subsequently moves their home to a location that 
would give rise to a travel costs allowance entitlement when 
working at headstation;

the employee will not normally be eligible for payment of travel 
costs allowance when working at headstation.

15. MODE OF TRAVEL TO TEMPORARY WORK LOCATION

Employees on short term transfer are required to travel to their 
temporary work location by the most expeditious means of transport 
approved by the delegate.

However, the delegate may approve travel to the temporary work 
location by other means, provided the total amount payable does 
not exceed the amount that would be payable had the most 
expeditious means of transport been used.

This clause should be read in conjunction with Telstra Travel 
Procedure Document X.

16. DETERMINATION OF ALLOWANCE WHILST TRAVELLING

The rate to be paid per overnight absence is dependant upon the 
location an employee spends each particular night in temporary 
accommodation.

Where an employee is accommodated overnight in an establishment 
within the area defined as a capital city (see Clause 8 of this 
policy), the employee will be paid at the particular capital city 
rate for that night. If the overnight absence is anywhere but in 
an area defined as a capital city, the "elsewhere" allowance rate 
will apply.

17. ALLOWANCE WHERE ACCOMMODATION AND/OR MEALS PROVIDED

Travel costs allowance is not payable for periods where an 
employee is provided with accommodation and/or meals at Telstra 
expense.

In these circumstances, employees may be reimbursed, upon 
production of receipts/documentation, personal expenses incurred 
for accommodation, meals and/or incidentals up to the limits 
prescribed in Appendix A. Incidental expenses should only be 
reimbursed for items such as telephone calls and laundry where 
they are necessary and reasonable.

18. TRANSFER OF FAMILY TO TEMPORARY WORK LOCATION

The cost of transferring an employee's family to a temporary work 
location will only be borne by Telstra where the transfer is for, 
or may extend, beyond three months. See Clause 2 of this policy.
19. OVERTIME MEAL ALLOWANCE PAYMENTS

Employees are not entitled to overtime meal allowance payments for 
any periods during which travel costs allowance is also payable.

20. ALLOWANCE PAYMENTS DURING LEAVE

Employees are not entitled to travel costs allowance during 
periods of leave with or without pay.

Where an employee is unable to return home due to illness, travel 
costs allowance will continue to be payable provided the employee 
remains at the temporary work location and continues to incur 
costs for meals and accommodation. Arrangements should be made to 
return the employee to their home or headstation where an illness 
is likely to prevent an employee from working for a week or more.

21. EMPLOYEE PROMOTED OR PERMANENTLY TRANSFERRED TO TEMPORARY WORK 
LOCATION

Where an employee in receipt of travel costs allowance is promoted 
to a work assignment in the same locality to which they had 
previously been temporarily transferred, payment of the allowance 
shall cease from the date the promotion is confirmed.

Where an employee is permanently transferred to a work locality to 
which they were formerly on short term transfer and in receipt of 
travel costs allowance, payment of the allowance will cease from 
the date the employee is notified in writing that their permanent 
transfer is approved.

Where an employee is transferred to a locality with a view to 
promotion or permanent transfer in the short term furure they will 
be entitled to transfer expenses in accordance existing Corporate 
policy There is no entitlement to travel costs allowance.

Any claim for expenses beyond these dates is covered by the 
Telstra Transfer Policy.

22. TRAVEL COSTS ALLOWANCE AND DISTRICT ALLOWANCE

An employee in receipt of travel costs allowance on a short term 
transfer to a locality which attracts a district allowance is not 
entitled to payment of that district allowance.

23. INACCURATE OR FRAUDULENT CLAIMS
==========
Employees found to be submitting inaccurate or fraudulent 
travelling allowance claims will be subject to the Corporation's 
disciplinary provisions.

Appendix A