Guidance: Family reunion travel

At a glance

Family reunion travel (FRT) is provided to all parliamentarians under the Parliamentary Business Resources (PBR) framework. The FRT provisions recognise that parliamentarians spend a significant amount of time away from their families.

• Parliamentarians must meet the obligations set out in the PBR framework when accessing FRT.
• FRT can only be claimed where a nominated family member is travelling for family reunion purposes. This means they must be travelling with or joining the parliamentarian while they conduct their parliamentary business. 
• FRT cannot be claimed if a parliamentarian’s parliamentary business has not commenced or after it has ceased.
• Travel for the family members of parliamentarians can be complex. This is because there are a number of provisions within the PBR framework that prescribe travel expenses for family members. 

Key definitions

PBR framework includes the Parliamentary Business Resources Act 2017 (PBR Act) and the Parliamentary Business Resources Regulations 2017 (PBR Regulations), and subordinate determinations.

Family reunion purposes is defined in the PBR Regulations. A family member travels for family reunion purposes if:

• The parliamentarian is travelling within Australia, and the dominant purpose is conducting parliamentary business.
• The family member travels to accompany or join the parliamentarian.
• The dominant purpose of the family member’s travel is to support the parliamentarian’s family life.

Family member means:

• A parliamentarian’s spouse, or person they have nominated in place of a spouse (a nominee)
• A parliamentarian’s dependent child. 
• A designated person – that is, a person who is a member of the parliamentarian’s immediate or extended family (for example, an adult child or relative), a person who is substantially dependent on the parliamentarian, or a person who has significant caring responsibilities for the parliamentarian’s spouse, dependent child or another person who is dependent on the parliamentarian. 

A parliamentarian must nominate their family members to IPEA before FRT is accessed. Nominations may be changed or updated at any time.

Senior office holder includes the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ministers (including the Prime Minister and Assistant Ministers), and the Leader or Deputy Leader of the Opposition in a House of Parliament.

What travel can currently be accessed under the PBR Regulations for FRT?

Canberra and local area family reunion travel

Subject to available budget, nominated family members may travel for family reunion purposes between their home base (or the parliamentarian’s home base) and Canberra, or to places within the State or Territory where the parliamentarian’s electorate is located. Travel can be up to business class.

The Canberra and local area FRT budget is calculated on a financial year basis. It is calculated using the value of nine business class flights for the parliamentarian’s spouse or nominee, and three economy class fares per dependent child (if any). While there are no limits to how many family members can be nominated by a parliamentarian, the total budget per year cannot exceed this value. 

Australia-wide family reunion travel

Each financial year, a parliamentarian’s nominated family members may access three return fares in total (shared across all family members) for family reunion travel.

Travel is by scheduled commercial transport up to business class. If only one-way travel is needed, a one-way fare may be used and counts as half a return fare.

Family travel for spouses of senior office holders

Due to the requirement for spouses of senior office holders to attend official events and noting the significant amount of time senior office holders spend away from their home, separate travel provisions apply. Where certain conditions are met, a senior office holder’s spouse may access unlimited travel to Canberra and within Australia to attend engagements they were invited to in their capacity as the spouse of a senior office holder, and for family reunion purposes. 

There are no specific limits on travel as the spouse of a senior office holder, except that the travel must be for the dominant purpose of the parliamentarian’s parliamentary business.

What expenses can be paid under the FRT provisions?

When a parliamentarian accesses FRT for their nominated family members, the following expenses can be claimed at Commonwealth expense:

• Flights from the family member’s or parliamentarian’s home base.
• Private vehicle allowance where the family member has driven to Canberra in their private vehicle rather than flying.
• Incidental transport costs for commencing and completing the family reunion travel (for example, a taxi from home to the airport). 
• Cost of travel between the accommodation in Canberra and Parliament House for spouses and nominees.

What restrictions apply to claiming FRT?

FRT can only be accessed when a family member is travelling for family reunion purposes. 

• The gateway test for family reunion travel is that the parliamentarian must be travelling for the dominant purpose of conducting their parliamentary business.
• The family member must then be travelling to accompany or join the parliamentarian while they are conducting their parliamentary business. 
• Where the parliamentarian’s parliamentary business has not yet commenced or has ceased, then FRT cannot be claimed. For example:
  • Where a parliamentarian has travelled to attend committee hearings interstate from Wednesday to Friday, family members can join or accompany the parliamentarian under the FRT provisions for that period. However, they cannot access FRT if they remain in the location over the weekend after the committee hearings end as the parliamentary business has ceased. 
  • The same applies to travel before parliamentary business has commenced or travel to join the parliamentarian after the parliamentary business has ceased.
• Travel by family members must be for the dominant purpose of facilitating the parliamentarian’s family life. FRT is not intended to facilitate a family holiday, visit family members interstate, or support family time outside of when parliamentary business is being conducted. 
• Where FRT has been accessed, and IPEA finds that the travel is outside the legislative provisions, then an invoice will be raised for the cost of the travel.