Official Travel policy

Guidance

The Department’s Official Travel policy and procedures aim to ensure that travel delivers public value and benefits to the department whilst maintaining the safety and security of travellers.

In considering a request for future travel, approving officers should assess whether the travel is necessary and give due consideration to alternatives such as web enabled video conferencing, teleconferencing and support from staff on-site at destinations. 

Where it is established that travel is required:

• every effort should be made to minimise the cost of travel and the expenditure should be properly controlled and accounted for
• the most economical travel arrangements should be chosen and the principle of “best fare of the day” applied, provided that it also meets the business requirements of the traveller
• the travel should cause minimal disruption to educational outcomes
• travel for the purposes of professional development should have a demonstrable benefit to the department
• the total cost, including relief staff (if applicable), should be reasonable and justified
• the number of employees travelling on any one trip should be minimised.

The onus for demonstrating that expenditure incurred is reasonable is with the travelling officer and includes the following:

• travel expenditure would stand up to public scrutiny and probity
• ability to justify that the expenditure incurred was for business purposes
• travel costs aligned with award conditions and rates.

Clause 54 of the Public Service Award 1992 and clause 60 of the Teachers Award 1993 provide rates that are to be used as a guide for what is a reasonable level of travel-related expenditure.

All travel activities are conducted in an ethical and transparent manner and comply with the Department’s Integrity Framework (staff only).

Guidance

This policy does not apply to:

• official travel to a location less than 50 kilometres from the employee’s usual place of work or within the Perth metropolitan area, which is the area within a 50 kilometre radius from the Perth City Railway Station
• employees travelling to new headquarters to undertake relief duty who are entitled to relieving allowance (not travelling allowance)
• subsidised leave travel concessions, return to home and relocation entitlements
• motor vehicle allowance claims
• students who are travelling. (For information on student travel refer to the Duty of Care for Public School Students Policy).