Travel within Australia

Travel obligations

Parliamentarians may travel within Australia at Commonwealth expense if it meets the Parliamentary Business Resources Act 2017 (PBR) obligations:

• Dominant purpose: travel is undertaken and related expenses claimed are for the ‘dominant purpose’ of conducting parliamentary business
• Value for money: parliamentary resources are used for parliamentary business in a way that achieves value for money (using public money efficiently, effectively and economically)
• Conditions: all travel and claiming conditions are met
• Good faith: parliamentarians must act ethically and in good faith when using parliamentary business resources
• Personal responsibility & accountability: parliamentarians are personally responsible and accountable for their use of public resources, and must consider how the public would perceive their use of those resources.

Commercial transport

Parliamentarians may travel at Commonwealth expense on both scheduled and unscheduled commercial transport.

Scheduled commercial transport

Is transport operated on a commercial basis with a standard timetable, and includes travel by:

• scheduled flights on commercial or commuter air services
• rail services
• coaches operating as regular carriers
• ferries operating as regular carriers
• other vehicles operating as regular carriers.

 Parliamentarians cannot claim scheduled commercial fares for:

• commercial aircraft travel where it is either above business class or the cost is more than a business class fare
• fines, penalties, or associated administrative costs (for example, the administration fee charged by a toll company to issue a toll).

To claim scheduled transport or parking costs, parliamentarians can lodge a Travel Expense claim in PEMS. For guidance on how to claim expenses in PEMS, refer to Create a travel expense claim. 

Alternatively, a parliamentarian travel expenses reimbursement claim form can be completed and sent to forms@ipea.gov.au with supporting documentation.

Unscheduled commercial transport

Is transport operated on a commercial basis without a standard timetable, and includes travel by:

• taxis
• regulated rideshare services
• self-drive hire cars, including road tolls
• chartered buses
• chartered aircraft.

Unscheduled commercial transport used at Commonwealth expense must be a commercial arrangement, meaning:

• the transport provider must be a legally registered entity
• the arrangement is at ‘arms length’ and there is no perceived or actual conflict of interest.

A passenger can travel with a parliamentarian on unscheduled commercial transport where:

1. the passenger is required for the parliamentarian to conduct their parliamentary business (for example, a parliamentarian may need to be accompanied by a member of staff, or industry expert) or
2. there are no additional costs for the passenger’s travel.

If additional costs are incurred, the passenger or the parliamentarian must personally meet the additional costs. Requiring a larger aircraft or vehicle, or incurring extra landing fees may create additional costs.

A family member accompanying a parliamentarian is not a ‘required’ passenger, and can only travel if:

• there are no additional costs, or
• the parliamentarian meets the additional cost, or
• it is within the family reunion provisions.

Unscheduled commercial transport services should not be used within the parliamentarian’s electorate, if the parliamentarian could reasonably use their private plated vehicle or private plated vehicle allowance. Parliamentarians need to decide the 'reasonableness' of using taxis or other transport in their local area. 

To claim unscheduled commercial transport costs, parliamentarians can lodge a Charter/Hire claim in PEMS. For guidance on how to claim expenses in PEMS, refer to Create unscheduled commercial transport (UCT) claim.

Alternatively, an unscheduled commercial transport claim form can be completed and sent to forms@ipea.gov.au with supporting documentation.

Transport in large electorates

Parliamentarians with large electorates, those greater than 10,000 km², have access to a ‘Transport in Large Electorates’ (TILE) budget.

The TILE budget may be used to travel by unscheduled commercial transport, for example by charter plane or bus, for the dominant purpose of conducting electorate duties in the electorate.

The Remuneration Tribunal sets the TILE budgets, which are financial year based.

Senators

• for New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia or Tasmania—$16,910 or a senator for Queensland or Western Australia—$30,140
• for the Northern Territory—$74,810

Members

• of the House of Representatives with an electorate area of at least 300,000 km² —$136,500
• of the House of Representatives with an electorate area of at least 100,000 km² but less than 300,000 km²—$43,450
• of the House of Representatives with an electorate area of at least 25,000 km² but less than 100,000 km²—$24,070
• of the House of Representatives with an electorate area of at least 10,000 km² but less than 25,000 km²—$11,860

For more information on this budget, refer to Travel budgets.

Using a Private Plated Vehicle (PPV)

The Commonwealth provides parliamentarians with a Private Plated Vehicle (PPV) for a range of uses, such as travelling within, and for the service of their electorate, and private travel.

Key limitations on the use of a PPV

• Parliamentarians cannot claim unscheduled commercial transport costs for travel within their electorate if they could reasonably use their private plated vehicle for that journey, where the parliamentarian has a private plated vehicle.
• Parliamentarians who choose the ‘PPV allowance’ instead of a PPV, are expected to use the PPV allowance to cover the cost of their travel by unscheduled commercial transport or COMCAR costs where they would otherwise have used their PPV.
• A PPV cannot be used for commercial purposes (for example as a paid shuttle service).
• Private vehicle allowance cannot be claimed for travel in a PPV.

Please contact IPEA—on 02 6215 3000 or enquiries@ipea.gov.au—if you have questions about the use of PPVs.

For queries about PPVs’ administration (for example orders, fuel cards and PPV reimbursements), please contact the SGFleet MaPS Manager on 02 6250 2030 or email crm@sgfleet.com.

Travel by Commonwealth transport

A parliamentarian can access COMCAR services within Australia to conduct parliamentary business. However, there are certain conditions that apply. These include that the travel:

• is for the dominant purpose of conducting parliamentary business; and
• represents value for money to the Commonwealth.

COMCAR services must not be accessed if a parliamentarians could have reasonably used their Commonwealth provided private plated vehicle or the allowance provided in lieu of a private plated vehicle to undertake or fund the travel. IPEA is available to provide advice on the use of COMCAR.

COMCAR can be booked via the CARS portal.

The circumstances in which Commonwealth transport may be used are set out in the Parliamentary Business Resources (Commonwealth Transport) Determination 2017. 

Travel by physical aid person

Travel costs can be accessed for a person, such as a family member or other support person, needed to provide physical aid to a parliamentarian (who has impaired or reduced mobility) when they are travelling to undertake their parliamentary business.

A physical aid person must be nominated to IPEA and may be provided with:

• scheduled, unscheduled and Commonwealth transport, at the same class as the parliamentarian (when travelling with them)
• reimbursement for accommodation, meals and incidentals, up to the parliamentarian’s travel allowance rate for the relevant location, and
• parking, booking fees and taxes.

Travel costs for a physical aid person will not be deducted from a budget.

To nominate a physical aid person, a completed Physical Aid Support Person Nomination form must be provided to IPEA.

More information

• IPEA’s website has a range of travel information:
  • Unscheduled commercial transport claim (PDF, 581.02 KB)
  • Parliamentarians travel expenses reimbursement claim (PDF, 100.7 KB)
  • Self-drive car hire
  • Legislative Framework
• For travel related queries or advice, please contact IPEA on (02) 6215 3000 or by email to enquiries@ipea.gov.au.