Assessing ABSTUDY travel time and access for the away from home rate 010-02060070

Rule

If distance from Home to School is

Distance from Home to Transport pick-up point

Distance from Transport pick-up point to school

Student meets distance requirement

Rule 1

at least 56km

n/a

n/a

Yes

Rule 1

variation

at least 16km, and

transport is available

a

b

Yes if total distance of

a + b

is at least 56km

Rule 2

at least 16km

At least 4.5kms

n/a

Yes

Rule 2

variation

at least 16km

At least 4.5kms

a

b

Yes if total distance of

a + b

is at least 16km

Rule 2

variation

more than 16km, and no transport is available.

n/a

n/a

Yes

Scenario

Reasonable travelling distance

Rule 1

Tim's permanent home is at Cue. The nearest government school offering year 11 is at Mount Magnet, 65km away. A school bus runs every morning and afternoon directly along the highway between the 2 towns. This journey takes 60 minutes.

Tim would not meet the 90 minutes travelling time provision, but his permanent home is at least 56km by the shortest practicable route to the nearest government school offering an appropriate level of schooling.

Tim is eligible for the Away from Home rate of payment.

Rule 1 (variation)

Guy lives at Indigan and the nearest appropriate government school is 40km away in Purdon. No public transport exists between Indigan and Purdon.

Guy is eligible for the Away from Home rate because Guy's permanent home is more than 16 km from the nearest school and public transport is unavailable.

Rule 1 (variation)

Jason's permanent home is at Parry Springs and the nearest appropriate government school is 54km away at Lara Creek. The daily bus service has a pick-up point 3km from Jason's home. The distance from the pick-up point to the school is 55km. The distance from Jason's permanent home to the school is not greater than 56km.

However, the combination of the distance from home to the transport pick-up point (3km) and from the transport pick-up point to the school (54km) is at least 56km.

Jason is eligible for the Away from Home rate based on reasonable travelling distance.

Rule 2

Susan's permanent home is 21km from the nearest government school offering an appropriate level of study. The daily bus service has a pick-up point 5km from Susan's home. Susan is driven to the gate on their pastoral property to catch the bus that stops to collect Susan. The distance from Susan's permanent home to the school is at least 16km, and the distance from home to the transport pick-up point is at least 4.5km.

Susan is eligible for the Away from Home rate.

Rule 2 (variation)

Dave's permanent home is located 11km via the shortest practicable route from the nearest government school offering an appropriate level of study. The bus service drops students at the school. The route to school is not direct from Dave's home.

The transport pick-up point is 5km from Dave's home and the pick-up point to the school is a further 12km. Therefore, the distance from Dave's permanent home to the school is less than 16km.

However, the combination of the following equates to at least 16km:

• the distance from home to the transport pick-up point is at least 4.5km
• the combination of the distance from home to the transport pick-up point (5km), and
• pick-up point to the school (12km)

Dave is eligible for the Away from Home rate.

Scenario

Reasonable travelling time

1

Greg's permanent home is at Plenty located 35km from Melbourne University where Greg studies. Greg takes 15 minutes to walk to the bus stop then 20 minutes on the bus to the train station. Greg waits 5 minutes then travels 35 minutes on the train to Flinders Street station. Greg then catches a tram which takes 15 minutes to arrive at Melbourne University. The walk from the tram takes 10 minutes to the School of Humanities block for classes.

The travelling time from Greg's home to classes takes 100 minutes which includes all walking, waiting, and travel.

Greg is eligible for the Away from Home rate.

2

Dannie lives at Doon Doon Station serviced by a school bus for the 25km trip to Fitzroy Crossing District High School. Dannie's circumstances do not meet the distance requirements for Away from Home rate. However, heavy wet season rainfall regularly washes away sections of the dirt road.

In the preceding 3 years, Fitzroy Crossing Town Council confirmed each year, more than 20 days of schooling were inaccessible. This was due to road works to allow access from Doon Doon Station to town.

Dannie is eligible for the Away from Home rate.

3

George lives in the parental home in Newcastle. George works as an apprentice heavy diesel motor mechanic in a mine at Muswellbrook. It takes George 2 hours' to drive from home. George moves into a flat at Muswellbrook.

George is eligible for the Away from Home rate.

4

Babette lives at the family home in Morawa, and works there as an apprentice hairdresser. Babette is required to attend 4 block release study programs per year in Geraldton for 2 weeks at a time. As Morawa is 2 hours' drive from Geraldton, Babette needs to live away from home during these block releases.

Babette is eligible for the Away from Home rate for the periods living away from home for block release.

5

Wayne lives on Rottnest Island and is enrolled full time at Fremantle TAFE, 20km from Rottnest Island. A ferry service runs daily on the hour from Rottnest Island to the mainland. This service connects with trains and buses at Fremantle train station for access to Fremantle TAFE.

The ferry service is rarely interrupted by poor weather and takes 30 minutes to the mainland. Wayne has a 10 minute wait to catch a bus to TAFE which takes 12 minutes.

Wayne is not eligible for the away rate because the journey does not take more than 90 minutes, nor is access to the education provider disrupted for 20 days or more in a year.