Authorising and coding pre-booked Fares Allowance (FAA) entitlements for ABSTUDY and ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) 010-02100070

Individual travel requests are received from:

• or on behalf of a student doing tertiary or secondary non-schooling study
• or on behalf of a secondary school student who is in a private board arrangement, or
• an education/board provider or an approved Third-party Indigenous Scholarship provider on behalf of a secondary school student and non-student traveller(s)

Bulk and group travel requests are received from:

• an education/board provider or approved Third-party Indigenous Scholarship provider for secondary school students and non-student traveller(s), or
• tertiary institutions for students doing an Away from Base activity

For claiming options, see ABSTUDY Fares Allowance (FAA).

Is the student or non-student traveller eligible for Fares Allowance (FAA)?

• Yes, go to Step 2
• No, for:
• ABSTUDY Smart Centre Telephony, record details of the discussion on a DOC. Explain the student's review and appeal rights. Procedure ends here
• ABSTUDY Travel and Away from Base Teams, after the booking is created in the TMA, finalise the travel request with a Booking Status of Rejected. Go to Step 21

ABSTUDY Smart Centre Telephony Service Officers accept and record verbal travel booking requests for the following students and their non-student travellers:

• in private board arrangements
• tertiary and secondary non-schooling
• attending individual Away from Base activities

For students boarding at a school or hostel, only accept bookings where:

• the boarding school or hostel is closed, and will not open:
• for a new booking more than 2 days before the requested travel date, or
• more than 24 hours before departure for a variation or cancellation
• this includes but is not limited to:
• school vacation periods
• public holidays
• emergency and disaster events

ABSTUDY Smart Centre Travel and Away from Base Service Officers accept travel booking requests via email for students and their non-student travellers, including but not limited to:

• boarding at a school or hostel
• in receipt of an approved Third-party Indigenous Scholarship
• attending Away from Base activities for a group of students

These staff authorise and process all travel booking requests.

ABSTUDY Travel Service Officers, if a new travel request has been received from an approved Third-party Indigenous Scholarship provider, go to Step 3.

Is the request to vary or cancel pre-booked travel arrangements and has been received within 24 hours of departure?

• Yes, see No show for ABSTUDY travel. Procedure ends here
• No, for:
• variations and cancellations to pre-booked travel where the original request was submitted by an approved Third-party Indigenous Scholarship provider, go to Step 4
• all other variations to pre-booked travel, go to Step 13
• all other cancellations to pre-booked travel, see Table 8
• new individual, bulk and group bookings, go to Step 5

Approved Third-party Indigenous Scholarship providers can submit travel requests on behalf of their scholarship recipients.

To check if a student is in receipt of an approved Third-party Indigenous Scholarship, go to the Independent/Homeless/Away from Home (NIH) screen. If the Start/Reject Reason is:

• ASO (Other organisation scholarship), go to the Document List (DL) screen:
• on the DL screen, check the ABSTUDY Scholarship Information Display on Access (DOA) DOC for the name of the scholarship provider. If a DOA DOC is not present, check the ABY Board Granted DOC
• compare the name of the scholarship to the Approved Third-Party Indigenous scholarships list
• not ASO, the student is not in receipt of an approved Third-party Indigenous Scholarship

Is the student in receipt of an approved Third-party Indigenous Scholarship and a travel request has been submitted by the scholarship provider?

• Yes, go to Step 5
• No, the request cannot be processed. Complete the following actions:
• record the details on a DOC on the student's record
• notify the provider of the decision via email using the No Permission to Enquire, Amend or Cancel ABSTUDY Travel template
• procedure ends here

Approved Third-party Indigenous Scholarship providers must submit any variations to, or cancellations of travel requests they originally submitted. This does not apply to no show advice or when travel has been disrupted.

If another party such as a boarding school, hostel or parent/guardian submits a request to vary or cancel a travel request initially submitted by a scholarship provider, make 2 genuine attempts to contact the scholarship provider to discuss the request. If the scholarship provider:

• does not agree to proceed with the variation or cancellation or attempts to contact are unsuccessful, the request cannot be processed. Complete the following actions:
• record the details on a Note on the traveller's booking
• for requests from education/board providers, notify the provider of the decision via email using the No Permission to Enquire, Amend or Cancel ABSTUDY Travel template
• for requests from a parent/guardian make 2 genuine attempts to contact to tell them the outcome
• procedure ends here
• agrees to proceed with the variation or cancellation:
• process the request
• record details of the discussion on a Note
• notification of the outcome must be given to the scholarship provider and the party that initiated the variation or cancellation

Is the request to vary or cancel pre-booked travel arrangements and has been received within 24 hours of departure?

• Yes, see No show for ABSTUDY travel. Procedure ends here
• No, for:
• variations to pre-booked travel, go to Step 13
• cancellations to pre-booked travel, see Table 8
• new individual, bulk and group bookings, go to Step 5

A 'No-Show' is where an approved ABSTUDY traveller failed to start or complete travel when it had been authorised and booked in advance.

To determine if a student or non-student traveller is eligible for fares to be authorised in advance due to a previous No show, see No show for ABSTUDY travel.

Is the student or non-student traveller eligible for fares to be authorised in advance for the journey?

• Yes, for:
• Individual travel requests, go to Step 6
• Bulk and group travel requests, go to Step 7
• No:
• The student or non-student traveller must book and pay for the travel and claim reimbursement after the travel is completed
• A complete ABSTUDY Fares Allowance Claim (SY032) must be lodged with the agency by the closing date
• ABSTUDY Smart Centre Telephony, record details of the discussion on a DOC. Explain the student's review and appeal rights. Procedure ends here
• ABSTUDY Travel and Away from Base Teams, after the booking is created in the TMA, finalise the travel request with a Booking Status of Rejected. Go to Step 21

Unless there are unforeseen and exceptional circumstances, an individual request for fares to be authorised and booked in advance of the journey should be submitted:

• as soon as possible
• preferably no later than 10 days before the journey
• within the required time frame

Note: compassionate travel is excluded from this requirement.

Has the FAA request been received in the allowable time frames?

• Yes, go to Step 12
• No, go to Step 8

Group travel booking requests for fares to be authorised and booked in advance of the journey must be submitted to Services Australia within the required time frame. The exception is where there are unforeseen and exceptional circumstances.

Time frames vary depending on who has submitted the request and the type of travel being undertaken.

• Secondary boarding schools or hostels requesting bulk/group travel for:
• school vacation, end/start of year, Special Purpose and Orientation Visit travel, for 10 or more passengers regardless of dates, at least 7 weeks before the travel date
• all other travel reasons or where there are 9 or fewer passengers for the same event, at least 10 days before the travel date
• Tertiary institutions requesting group travel for Away from Base, at least:
• 3 weeks before the travel date for 9 or fewer passengers
• 4 weeks before the travel date, for 10 or more passengers

Has the FAA request been received within these time frames?

• Yes, go to Step 12
• No, for:
• secondary boarding bulk and group requests, go to Step 8
• Away from Base group requests, go to Step 10

Are there unforeseen and exceptional circumstances which prevented the FAA request from being lodged in the prescribed time frames?

• Yes, late lodgement of a travel request can be accepted, go to Step 12
• No, go to Step 9

A late booking request usually means Corporate Travel Management (CTM) cannot guarantee that the requested travel dates can be booked in the short time frame.

Contact the person requesting the travel to discuss the requested travel date, the required time frames and encourage them to request a travel date within a reasonable time frame:

• for individual requests, book travel for a date at least 10 days from the date of contact
• for bulk and group travel requests, book travel for a date at least 7 weeks from the date of contact

If not suitable and travel is:

• to be booked within the requested time frames:
• tell the applicant that CTM may not be able to facilitate a date within the short time frame and travel may be booked for the next available date
• go to Step 12
• not to be pre-booked:
• tell the applicant that they can book and pay for the travel and claim reimbursement after the travel is completed
• tell the applicant of the decision and record details on a DOC on the record
• procedure ends here

If the group travel request is received from an education representative via:

• ABSTUDY Smart Centre Telephony, warm transfer the caller to the ABSTUDY Smart Centre Away from Base Team using the Services Australia Workspace Transfer Options list
• If a call back is required, use the Away from Base callback required Fast Note to notify the ABSTUDY Smart Centre Away from Base Team
• Use Fast Note - select Auto text, use Students, ABSTUDY & Apprentices > ABSTUDY Travel > Away from Base callback required
• Procedure ends here
• ABSTUDY Smart Centre Away from Base Team, go to Step 11

Are there unforeseen and exceptional circumstances impacting travel which prevented the FAA request from being lodged in the prescribed time frames?

• Yes, late lodgement of a group travel request can be accepted, go to Step 12
• No, the education institution or board provider must book and pay for the travel and claim reimbursement after the travel is completed. An ABSTUDY Fares Allowance Claim (SY032) must be lodged with Services Australia by the closing date. Tell the education institution of the decision and record details on a DOC in the organisation's record. Procedure ends here

To accept a travel request, the following information is required about the student or non-student traveller:

• Reason the student or non-student traveller needs to travel
• Where the student or non-student traveller is travelling to and from
• Date(s) student or non-student traveller is required to travel
• Mode of transport
• Any additional information as outlined in the Travel Critical Information field on the Overview tab, such as traveller body weights
• Student or non-student traveller's name on their identification, including the title, such as Miss, Mr, Mrs. Update the preferred name on the Customer Person Detail Summary (CPDS) screen if not already listed. Note: make sure the customers preferred name and title have been confirmed with the school/boarding provider, parent/guardian, or student prior to making any updates. See Aliases and other names (legal, preferred, sex and gender diverse customers, cultural considerations etc)
• Phone number. Make sure the Telephone Summary (TDS) screen is up to date
• Email address is included to send a copy of the itinerary. To check the email address, in Customer First, go to the Email Address (EMA) screen
• Whether the student or non-student traveller has excess baggage above the applicable limits, see Additional costs associated with travel for ABSTUDY
• Whether the student or non-student traveller need accommodation and/or transfers during the journey. If accommodation is requested for multiple travellers, room configuration details must be obtained. For further information, see Additional costs associated with travel for ABSTUDY

When all details have been received, go to Step 13.

If weekend or public holiday travel is requested for primary or secondary students under 18, the student must have:

• a supervisor, and
• a Safe Travel Plan (STP) for the journey

This is the responsibility of the student, parent/guardian, education/boarding provider responsible for requesting the travel.

If a supervisor is unavailable due to unforeseen and exceptional circumstances, travel can be approved if the boarding school/provider:

• understands their responsibility to manage risks, and
• implements the STP

They must provide emergency contact numbers to be included in the booking with CTM. Add the numbers to the Notes tab of the booking if the student meets the above criteria.

Does the student require a mandatory STP?

• Yes, go to Step 14
• No, go to Step 18

Students in primary or secondary school under 18 years old must have a Safe Travel Plan (STP) to have pre-booked travel approved.

Where there is no STP, the student will not qualify for FAA authorised in advance. The travel will be rejected, unless there are unforeseen and exceptional circumstances, for example, a student is travelling for orientation and is accompanied by a supervisor, but no STP is in place.

Use of the Exceptional Circumstances code is discretionary. Do not use the code to approve pre-booked travel where there is no STP or unforeseen and exceptional circumstances.

If unforeseen and exceptional circumstances apply, record details on the Notes tab of the student's booking. Include:

• details of the student's circumstances
• any other information critical to the decision

Is there a STP or do unforeseen and exceptional circumstances apply?

• Yes, go to Step 15
• No, reject the travel. An STP is required before travel can be approved:
• ABSTUDY Smart Centre Telephony, record details of the discussion on a DOC. Explain the student's review and appeal rights. Procedure ends here
• ABSTUDY Travel and Away from Base Teams, after the booking is created in the TMA, finalise the travel request with a Booking Status of Rejected. Record details of the decision on the Notes tab. Go to Step 21

Services Australia may determine a primary or secondary school student under 18 years old, needs mandatory supervision when assessing a pre-booked travel request.

Examples of circumstances where mandatory supervision would be required include:

• vulnerable students
• students under 12 years old at time of travel
• students travelling on a weekend or public holiday and there are no unforeseen and exceptional circumstances for not having a supervisor
• where a student has had 2 or more no shows without valid reason in the calendar year
• where it is a requirement of the travel carrier. For example, Greyhound Australia requires supervisors for children under 15 years of age
• where there are reports from the travel carrier of property damage by the student
• where an Safe Travel Plan (STP) has previously been deemed inadequate to manage a travel disruption

To determine who can be an approved supervisor, see Non-student travellers for ABSTUDY.

Note: in exceptional or unforeseen circumstances, prebooked travel may be booked without mandatory supervision, if the boarding school/provider:

• understands their responsibility to manage risks, and
• implements the STP

See the Resources page for examples.

Is a mandatory supervision required?

• Yes, and an approved supervisor has been nominated, go to Step 17. If no supervisor has been nominated, reject the travel. For:
• ABSTUDY Smart Centre Telephony, record details of the discussion on a DOC. Explain the student's review and appeal rights. Procedure ends here
• ABSTUDY Travel and Away from Base Teams, after the booking is created in the TMA, finalise the travel request with a Booking Status of Rejected. Record details of the decision on the Notes tab. Go to Step 21
• No, go to Step 16

For students between 12 and 17 years old travelling great distances, on multiple carriers or who may be at risk of a travel disruption, a supervisor is strongly recommended. Contact the person requesting the travel to discuss any risk(s) identified if the student were to travel unsupervised. Record details of the discussion on a Note on the students booking.

Is a supervisor to be included in the booking?

• Yes, go to Step 17
• No, go to Step 18

To accept a travel request for a supervisor, the following information is required:

• full name
• current telephone number. If they do not have a phone number establish how they can be contacted if there is a change in travel or emergency. For example, contact will be made via the student's education/board provider
• where they are travelling from and to
• travel date(s)

The supervisor is responsible for:

• ensuring the student meets all travel arrangements shown on the travel itinerary
• supervising the student during transit periods between travel carriers
• supervising the student if they experience travel disruptions, such as transport or weather delays
• supervising the student in overnight accommodation if travel is disrupted and cannot rebooked for the same day
• having a current telephone number and providing this to the agency to contact if a disruption occurs. If the supervisor has contacted the agency to arrange travel and they advise a change to their telephone number, update the supervisor's details. If the telephone number was provided by a third party such as a school, record the contact number on the Notes tab

When the required information has been provided, go to Step 18.

The most appropriate mode of transport is:

• the most practical and cost-effective mode of transport for the journey, and
• reasonable in the circumstances

ABSTUDY Smart Centre Telephony:

• tell the customer their request will be assessed based on the above
• record the requested mode of transport in the TMA

ABSTUDY Smart Centre Travel and Away from Base Teams:

Assess the most appropriate mode of transport for the journey, see Determining the appropriate mode of transport for ABSTUDY Fares Allowance (FAA).

Has the person requesting travel asked to pre-book a specific travel and/or accommodation provider?

• Yes, go to Step 19
• No, for:
• variations to pre-booked travel, see Table 7
• all other travel bookings, go to Step 21

Customers may request that a specific provider is booked when requesting FAA in advance. This includes requests for certain:

• travel providers such as airlines, ferry and terminal transfer operators
• accommodation providers

Requests to pre-book a specific provider is either a requirement or preference. These requests can be approved if they are a requirement.

Requirement

A requirement is if the specific provider will help the student or non-student traveller access FAA safely. This includes, but is not limited to requests due to:

• fear of flying and/or small aircrafts, for example single and twin-engine planes
• a medical reason. The customer must provide medical evidence, such as but not limited to a medical certificate or statement from a treating health professional
• non-student and/or other student travel arrangements being already booked
• work and/or child-care commitments
• previous accidents

Preference

A preference is if a traveller likes a supplier, wants to choose a supplier, or requests a supplier without any reason. This includes, but is not limited to requests due to:

• the supplier's familiarity to travellers
• convenience of the supplier
• positive past experiences

Note: if a specific travel provider has been requested and the provider does not use the most appropriate mode of transport, the request cannot be approved.

Go to Step 20.

If the specific provider request has been received by:

ABSTUDY Smart Centre Telephony:

• accept the specific provider request
• document the reason for the specific provider request on the Notes tab
• tell the customer:
• to upload any supporting documents as soon as possible
• that their provider request will be assessed, and they will be contacted if not considered to be a requirement

ABSTUDY Smart Centre Travel and Away from Base Teams:

• determine if the provider request is a requirement or preference
• if a decision cannot be made, contact Local Peer Support (LPS). Do not change the Booking Status until there is an outcome. If the Booking Status is Pending Approval, place the work item(s) on Hold to User
• if the specific provider is a:
• requirement, approve the request. Add the providers details to the Comments field
• preference, do not approve the request. Tell the customer the outcome of the request

For:

• variations to pre-booked travel, see Table 7
• all other bookings, travel can be authorised in advance. Go to Step 21

Is the booking request from an organisation?

• Yes, see Table 2
• No, for travel requests:
• authorised in advance, see Table 3
• received by Travel and Away from Base Service Officers through Workload Management (WLM) as a Pending Approval Work Item to be rejected, see Table 9 > Step 4

Organisations must complete the ABSTUDY Travel Authorisation - Booking Form. This is sent to the ABSTUDY Smart Centre Travel and Away from Base Teams via the positional mailbox for processing. For travel requests for 2 or more travellers, the ABSTUDY Travel Authorisation - Booking Form must be uploaded into Process Direct as a standard Microsoft Excel file (.xlsx) to create a group.

The ABSTUDY Travel Authorisation - Booking Form has 3 sheets, Booking Information, Travel Arrangements and Linked Travellers. These must be completed before the form is uploaded to the TMA. For further information about each sheet, see the Resources page.

To pre-link travellers using the Linked Travellers sheet, select Yes in the Linked Travellers Reqd column on the Booking Information sheet.

To link 2 traveller's bookings, select the first booking in the 'Traveller 1' column, and the second booking in the 'Traveller 2' column.

Multiple links may need to be entered. For example, where a supervisor is travelling with several students, each student booking will require a link to the supervisor's booking.

All group bookings must be uploaded to the Organisation's CEP (Centrelink Education Payment) record.

Search for the organisation's record via the Organisation Summary tile in Process Direct to:

• check the booking has not already been uploaded to the TMA, and
• confirm the Organisations CEP CRN. For assistance, in Travel Management Application (TMA), select TMA overview from the drop down box and see Step 2

To complete a travel booking:

• if needed, update information on the ABSTUDY Travel Authorisation Booking Form such as Travel Reason, Educational Institution CRN (this must be the CEP CRN) and Comments
• Save the ABSTUDY Travel Authorisation - Booking Form to the desktop
• Access the TMA by selecting the Travel Management tile from the Process Direct landing page
• The TMA will open with no record or booking in context, and will auto-navigate to the Maintenance tab
• The Upload Bookings function will be selected by default. Select Browse to locate the relevant ABSTUDY Travel Authorisation - Booking Form Excel spreadsheet file on the desktop
• Select the Excel file. The information from the Booking Form will populate onto the Maintenance tab. Select Create Bookings
• Message Upload Successful will display, however the TMA may still be processing individual bookings within the group. After all individual bookings have been generated, the TMA will then complete any required linking between bookings. The time required to complete the upload process can be affected by a several factors, such as the size of the group. Updates to individual bookings can commence within the group prior to the upload completing however avoid linking travellers or altering data on the Organisation record. Return to the Maintenance tab and select the Check Status button to confirm if the upload is complete
• The TMA will validate all CRNs and check for potential duplicate bookings. Bookings passing validation will be auto-created and linked to any associated travellers as per the ABSTUDY Travel Authorisation- Booking Form
• The TMA will create the booking on the organisation record for the school/hostel
• Go to the Documents tab. A Booking Upload Log message will display in the Documents tab along with documents containing summarised copies of the bookings and any links within the group. A copy of the ABSTUDY Travel Authorisation - Booking Form Excel spreadsheet file will auto-save to the Documents tab
• Check the Booking Upload Log for any errors, such as CRNs failing validation or duplicate bookings:
• The TMA will identify any existing bookings for the traveller that are within 7 days of the travel date(s) on the new booking. Where the new booking includes both a forward and return date, existing travel falling between these dates will also be identified. If an existing booking is identified as a potential duplicate, the upload will error and not create a booking. If it is determined the booking is not a duplicate a new individual booking can be created
• For invalid CRN errors, locate the correct CRN for the customer. Determine with consideration on the number of errors, to either create individual bookings for these travellers, or use the spreadsheet template to create another group upload for the failed CRNs. This method will create a second group booking
• The TMA will display the successful bookings on the Groups tab. All individual traveller details display in the Individual Travellers section of this tab with a Booking Status of New
• Where any errors are addressed by creating individual bookings for the travellers, add them back into the original group booking. For coding assistance, see Table 6. After the errors are addressed, return to this step
• An individual booking added to a group booking incorrectly cannot be removed from the group. It can only be cancelled:
• Select the individual from the Groups tab
• Go to the Bookings tab
• Update the Booking Status to Cancelled
• Select the relevant cancellation reason in the Status Reason field
• Add a Note explaining the reason for the cancelled booking, select Save
• If necessary, create a new individual booking for the traveller and add them to the correct group booking. For coding details, see Table 6

Go to Step 3.

When the group booking has been successfully uploaded:

• Access each individual booking to make the required updates. Select an individual booking from the Groups tab to bring the booking into context
• Make sure all information recorded on the individual booking is correct and booking notes added. For assistance, see Table 5. After the bookings are checked for correctness, return to this step
• Return to the relevant group booking from the Groups tab or by selecting the Group booking hyperlink at the top of the TMA

When all individual bookings have been updated, see Table 9.

When Fares Allowance is requested over the phone, customers must complete a verbal declaration to confirm the information provided is true and correct.

The following customers must be offered a verbal declaration:

• Parents/guardians requesting travel on the behalf of secondary school students and/or their associated non-student travellers
• Secondary school students requesting travel
• Tertiary students
• Non-student travellers aged over 18 years associated with secondary non-schooling and tertiary students

Go to Step 3.

Check if the customer has accepted the declaration by reviewing the ABSTUDY FAA Declaration Fast Note in Customer First on each traveller's record (excluding child (CHI) records). If the:

• Fast Note has been recorded and the declaration was accepted by the correct customer, see Table 4
• Fast Note has not been recorded on all traveller's records and the declaration was accepted by the correct customer, record the Fast Note on the missing record(s). Use Fast Note - select Auto text, use Students, ABSTUDY & Apprentices > ABSTUDY Travel > ABSTUDY FAA Declaration, then see Table 4
• Fast Note has not been recorded and/or the declaration was not offered, or the incorrect customer accepted the declaration, go to Step 2
• declaration was not accepted, go to Step 5

Make 2 genuine attempts to contact the customer to offer the verbal declaration.

Was contact successful?

• Yes, go to Step 3
• No, go to Step 5

Use the ABSTUDY Travel automated declaration message in the Services Australia Workspace to play the declaration, select CLK_Abstudy_Travel_Dec. For a link to the Services Australia Workspace Intranet page which includes a Reference Guide with instructions to access automated messages, see the Resources page.

If it is not appropriate to play the automated message, such as where the customer has hearing difficulties or requires an Indigenous interpreter, read the declaration using the script in the ABSTUDY FAA Declaration Fast Note.

Note: due to Services Australia Workspace limitations, if there is more than one party in the call, read the declaration using the script in the Fast Note.

Use Fast Note - select Auto text, use Students, ABSTUDY & Apprentices > ABSTUDY Travel > ABSTUDY FAA Declaration.

Go to Step 4.

To clearly identify the person making the claim, complete the Fast Note correctly. The Fast Note must be recorded on the record of each person who will be travelling (excluding customers with CHI records).

Where the customer:

• is not the student:
• at the beginning of the Fast Note record the name of the person who is making the declaration, and
• the name of the student they are claiming for
• is the student:
• record their name as both the applicant and the student

Note: if the call disconnects before the customer provides a response, attempt to call the customer back. If this is unsuccessful, this is treated as the customer not agreeing to the verbal declaration.

Did the customer agree to the verbal declaration?

• Yes, record their acceptance to the verbal declaration in the Fast Note by deleting the No reference at the end of the Fast Note, then:
• See Table 4
• See Table 5
• No, record their non-acceptance of the verbal declaration in the Fast Note by deleting the Yes reference at the end of the Fast Note, go to Step 5

Tell the customer that travel cannot be authorised in advance as the declaration was not accepted.

If the travel request has been received by:

• ABSTUDY Smart Centre Telephony:
• Issue a Q888 on the record of the customer required to complete the declaration, using the Fares Allowance or Away from, Base verbal declaration not accepted letter template
• Record details on a DOC
• Explain their review and appeal rights
• Tell the customer they can book and pay for travel themselves and claim reimbursement after the travel is completed
• A complete ABSTUDY Fares Allowance Claim (SY032) must be lodged with the agency by the closing date
• Procedure ends here
• ABSTUDY Smart Centre Travel and Away from Base Teams:
• Finalise the Booking in the TMA using Booking Status Cancelled and Status Reason Never Booked
• Record details of the decision on the Notes tab using the appropriate cancellation DOC. For the ABSTUDY Travel Minimum DOC Standards, see the Resources page
• Issue a Q888 on the record of the customer required to complete the declaration, using the Fares Allowance or Away from, Base verbal declaration not accepted letter template
• Tell the customer they can book and pay for travel themselves and claim reimbursement after the travel is completed
• A complete ABSTUDY Fares Allowance Claim (SY032) must be lodged with the agency by the closing date
• Procedure ends here

Is the travel request for travel within 2 business days of the request being sent to Corporate Travel Management (CTM)?

• Yes, go to Step 2
• No, go to Step 3

Where an urgent request for travel within 2 business days of the request is being sent to CTM, contact CTM prior to sending the request to:

• check flight availability/charter options, and
• notify CTM that an urgent travel request is being sent

For requests received through Workload Management (WLM) as a Pending Approval Work Item, review the request and confirm FAA eligibility.

For eligibility assessment, see Assessing eligibility for Fares Allowance (FAA) for ABSTUDY.

Is the traveller eligible for this travel request?

• Yes, go to Step 4
• No, see Table 9 > Step 4

In the relevant Booking ID#:

• go to the Bookings tab. Select Edit
• update the Booking Status to Requested
• make sure all information recorded on the individual booking is correct and booking notes added. For details, see Table 5. After the booking is checked for correctness, return to this step
• check the Parties tab. Update the Booking Status and any other relevant information for all linked travellers

Send the booking request(s) to CTM, see Table 9.

All customers, both students and non-student travellers, must have a valid Centrelink Customer Reference Number (CRN).

If a customer does not have a valid CRN, a conduct a search to make sure no record exists before adding a new record for a customer. See Searching for a customer on the system.

For dependent traveller types under 16 years of age who only have a child (CHI) record, do not convert the CHI record into a person (PER) record to create a booking in the Travel Management Application (TMA).

When the commencement or destination location is different for the forward or return trips, record separate bookings in the TMA to reflect the journey.

Note: the Overview tab draws upon information on the customer's record from the Income Security Integrated System (ISIS). Update the customer record before exporting the travel request to Corporate Travel Management (CTM) if core customer data:

• has been provided, and
• is either not coded or incorrect in the personal section of the Overview tab

To record a travel booking:

• locate the correct customer's record by accessing the TMA, and
• select Create New Booking, which navigates to the Overview tab

The Overview tab contains the following sub-headings:

• Personal, includes information such as:
• customer's preferred name
• date of birth and age
• address, email, and contact number
• Travel Requirements, includes:
• Student's benefit status
• Safe Travel Plan (STP) - must confirm whether an STP is in place (or exceptional circumstances apply), and key the relevant outcome when pre-booking for primary or secondary students under 18 years of age
• For all other travellers (such as tertiary, secondary non-school students or associated non-student travellers) and reimbursements, select No as STPs do not apply
• Away from home reason
• Mandatory supervision requirements (this only applies to pre-booked travel)
• Education Details:
• The student's course information. If there are multiple courses, select the course applicable to the journey or reimbursement being created. For bookings using the End/Start of Year Travel reason, select the course applicable to the forward trip of the journey. Code the trips in the same booking
• Masters and Doctorate Student:
• Pre-populated from ISIS, this will advise if the student has ever previously accessed Relocation Allowance
• Emergency Contact Details: recorded for use when there is a travel disruption. This is a mandatory field for all pre-booked travel for students under 18 years of age. When coding a reimbursement claim, record the Emergency Contact Name as N/A and leave the Emergency Contact Number as the default. For supervisors of:
• private boarding students, record the supervisor's details on their booking under Emergency Contact #1
• students boarding at a school/hostel, record the details provided on the ABSTUDY Travel Authorisation - Booking Form
• Travel Critical Information:
• A free text field, limited to 255 characters, which can be used to store important information about an individual that can be carried over to new bookings. For example, 'Student has a fear of flying, do not book air travel'. This field must only be used for ongoing information relevant to travel, not for information relevant only to the booking in context
• Interstate Travel Assessments displays the outcome of any interstate travel assessment. When coding group bookings, code the following fields:
• Assessment Reason: select the applicable reason for the assessment
• Assessment Outcome: Approved or Rejected
• Intrastate Education Institution: key the name of the intrastate education institution (not a mandatory field)
• Intrastate Education Institution Location: key the location of the intrastate location found in Resources of Interstate travel for ABSTUDY
  Note: Intrastate fields are only visible when the Cost Effective to Travel Interstate Assessment Reason is used
• Interstate Education Institution: key the name of the interstate education institution the student is attending or requesting to attend
• Interstate Education Institution Location: key the location of the interstate education institution the student is attending or requesting to attend
• Assessment Start Date: key the date from which the assessment applies. This may be a past or future date. For example, the assessment is being coded in October but will not apply until 1 January of the following year
• Assessment End Date: complete when the student loses entitlement to interstate travel. For example, completion of their course, change of secondary school, or scholarship entitlement has ceased

After the above fields are completed, select Save. A message will appear advising of a successfully created booking and the Booking ID#.

The Booking tab will display, complete the relevant booking information for the travel:

• Date of Receipt, will default to today's date. For pre-booked travel, this does not require updating
• Booking Status, bookings created should display:
• Pending Approval for ABSTUDY Telephony Service Officers, and
• New for ABSTUDY Travel and Away from Base Service Officers
• Manual update to the Booking Status may be required. Save bookings with a New or Pending Approval status so any further status changes can occur. For example, if the request is to be exported and sent to CTM, the status would be initially saved as New or Pending Approval, before being updated to Requested. Booking status changes can only be performed by ABSTUDY Travel and Away from Base Service Officers. for Booking Status definitions, see the Resources page
• Traveller Type:
• Companions
• Dependents: used for approved student and non-student dependents
• Education Representative: also used for drivers or pilots of chartered transport. See Non-student beneficiaries for ABSTUDY Away from Base assistance
• Family or Community Members
• Notional Student Traveller: used when the student is not travelling, however a non-student traveller (such as a parent or education representative) is travelling independently under the student's FAA entitlement. The non-student traveller's booking must be linked to the Notional Student Traveller booking
• Student
• Supervisor
• Status Reason, where a Booking Status is Cancelled or Rejected, select the applicable cancellation or rejection reason. This field is not required for bookings made via Smart Centre Telephony
• Travel Reason: select the appropriate travel type
• If the student is in receipt of Schooling A, select Special Purpose Travel for request to travel to a residential school. For a Testing and Assessment activity, use Orientation/interview Travel. The Course Level on the Overview tab must be relevant to the Schooling A entitlement

Note: travel reasons relevant to the applicable study level will display where the Traveller Type selected is Student or Notional Student Traveller. For example, School Vacation will not be displayed for tertiary students. This does not apply for other traveller types, or when the Booking Status selected is Rejected. Where travel is being coded for a non-student dependent, make sure the travel reason selected matches the supervisor.

Continue completing the relevant booking information for the travel

• Forward Travel Date
• Return Travel Date (if required)
  Note: where accommodation is required prior to pre-booked travel:
• record the date of travel in the Forward Travel Date field, and
• make note of accommodation requirements in the Comments, including room configuration details. For the ABSTUDY Travel Minimum DOC Standards, see the Resources page
• Issue letter, select Yes or No. This field only displays when a Booking Status of Rejected is selected
• Travel From State/Territory, key the approved State/Territory abbreviation as below:
• ACT
• NSW
• NT
• QLD
• SA
• TAS
• VIC
• WA
• O/SEAS
• Travel From
• Travel To State/Territory, key the approved State/Territory abbreviation as above
• Travel To
  Note: code the Travel From and Travel To fields with the location of the accommodation if:
• coding additional costs for accommodation and meals only, and
• pre-booked travel is not required
• Travel Mode, select the mode used for the most substantial part of the trip/journey, see Determining the appropriate mode of transport for ABSTUDY Fares Allowance (FAA):
• Air: used for regular air travel
• Bus: used for regular and chartered bus travel
• Charter: used for chartered air travel
• Motor Vehicle: used for travel by private, hired or chartered vehicle
• Rail: used for train travel
• Sea: used for ferry travel
• Alternative Route, see Determining the appropriate travel destination for ABSTUDY Fares Allowance (FAA):
• Alternative Commencement Location: when travel is commencing at a point along the usual route
• Alternative Termination Location: when travel is terminating at a point along the usual route
• Exceptional Circumstances: when travel is to/from a point not along the usual route due to unforeseen/exceptional circumstances
• Booking Reference: completed after an itinerary is received. This is not required for bookings recorded by ABSTUDY Smart Centre Telephony Service Officers
• Semi-Flexible Fare: not required
• Comments, information recorded is included in the export spreadsheet to CTM:
• this field has a character limit. If the comments exceed the limit, add all text to the Notes tab
• include requests for accommodation, meals, transfers, specific providers, and any special instructions in this field. Room configuration details must also be included. Comments must be formatted using the templates in the ABSTUDY Travel Minimum DOC Standards on the Resources page
• if travel will be by chartered plane or helicopter, include the traveller’s body weight
• if additional costs for accommodation and meals have been approved and pre-booked travel is not required, include the following: NO TRAVEL - ACM/MEA only required
• include INFANT for travel for a passenger aged under 2 years

For data export and letter purposes, make sure:

• relevant documentation is added as an attachment to a travel booking prior to exporting the request. This may include travel requests submitted by the Education Institution and/or evidence submitted to support a travel eligibility decision (e.g. compassionate travel)
• details keyed in the Travel From and Travel To fields are recorded in capital letters and spelling is correct. Use the city/town/community/island name, not the school/hostel name. If travel has been requested from/to a suburb, record the name of the city where the suburb is located, not the suburb name. Do not use acronyms or shorten location names. For example, TI or Thurs Is instead of THURSDAY ISLAND
• private address details are recorded under the Comments field, not in the Travel From and Travel To fields, as this impacts travel reports

After the above fields are completed, select Save.

Has a warning message appeared due to current travel date(s) within 7 days of the new travel date(s)?

• Yes, go to Step 6
• No, go to Step 7

The TMA will identify any existing bookings for the traveller that are within 7 days of the travel date(s) on the new booking. Where the new booking includes both a forward and return date, existing travel that is between these travel dates will also be identified.

If an existing booking is identified as a potential duplicate, a warning message will display. Determine whether to proceed with creating the new booking, or to vary the details on the existing booking.

Is a variation required?

• Yes, see Table 7
• No, go to Step 7

To include any detailed information with the booking, go to the Notes tab. To add notes to a booking, see Travel Management Application (TMA).

Information required for all travel:

• details of any:
• discretionary decisions made (such as, why the number of nights of accommodation has been approved or why a specific provider has or has not been deemed a requirement)
• conversations had with the traveller or education/board provider regarding security deposits and incidental charges incurred during the travellers stay
• for weekend/public holiday travel, that supervisor and the Safe Travel Plan (STP) requirements are met where applicable and that relevant conversations have been had with the traveller or education/board provider regarding travel disruptions
• the relevant chapter of the ABSTUDY Policy to support the decision

Information required for compassionate travel:

• Reason for compassionate travel
• Has the funeral/event been verified? Yes/No. Include details, for example: Funeral located on Indigenous Funeral Notices homepage under (year) (month) (state/territory). Funeral to be held at (location) on (date)

Information required for Special Purpose Visit travel:

• Reason parent, family or community member is attending the education institution
• For the ABSTUDY Travel Minimum DOC Standards, see the Resources page

Do travellers need to be linked?

• Yes, see Table 6
• No, see Table 9

Where required, travellers can be linked, for example, siblings travelling together or a non-student traveller and their dependent.

To:

• link travellers, go to Step 2
• unlink linked travellers, go to Step 3
• add individual travellers to group bookings, go to Step 4
• link students and non-student travellers within a group booking, go to Step 5

Link travellers using the Parties tab. Where 2 or more non-student traveller bookings require linking to a student booking, commence the linking process with the non-student traveller's booking in context each time.

Create the individual booking for the student via the process outlined in Table 5. Take note of the CRN and Booking ID:

• locate the CRN for the relevant non-student traveller. If no CRN, add the customer to the system. Note: in the case of dependent travellers, a child CRN can be accessed in Process Direct and used to create a traveller booking in the TMA. There is no requirement to convert the child record first
• create an individual booking for the non-student traveller using the same process. When saved, go to the Parties tab with the non-student traveller's booking in context
• the non-student traveller's booking will display in the Booking Parties section of the tab. Select Edit, then select Link Travellers
• key the student's CRN in the Traveller 2 CRN field, press [Enter]
• select
• locate and select the Booking ID# created for the student's booking and select OK
• select Save. The TMA will link the 2 bookings together on both records, referring to each other
• repeat the process to link any other relevant bookings. For example, where a supervisor is accompanying several students
• move between the linked bookings via the Parties tab to bring each booking into context as needed

To finalise the travel booking, see Table 9.

Unlinking of bookings is actioned on the Parties tab as follows:

• with the student or non-student traveller's record in context in Process Direct, select the relevant Booking ID# from the Bookings tab
• go to the Parties tab of the TMA and select Edit
• select Unlink beside the booking which needs to be unlinked
• select Save
• the TMA will unlink the 2 bookings

If required, another Booking ID# can then be located and linked. Procedure ends here.

To add an individual booking to an existing group booking:

• create the individual bookings for each student, taking note of the CRNs and Booking ID#s. See Table 5. After new bookings are created, return to this step
• access the organisation record in Process Direct and select the relevant Booking ID# from Fares to open the TMA with the group booking in context
• go to the Parties tab
• select Edit
• select Add Booking to Group, key the CRN of the first student to be added and press [Enter]
• select . All individual bookings for this student will be displayed. Select the relevant Booking ID# to be added to the group booking, select Ok, then Save
• repeat the process as necessary for any other students
• the TMA will add the booking(s) into the group

To finalise the travel booking, see Table 9.

If a student needs to be added to an existing group booking and the student has a non-student traveller, such as a supervisor:

• create the individual bookings for both the student and non-student traveller, taking note of the CRNs and Booking ID#s. See Table 5. After new bookings are created, return to this step
• access the organisation record in Process Direct and select the relevant Booking ID# from Fares to open the TMA with the group booking in context
• go to the Parties tab
• select Edit
• select Add Booking to Group, key the student's CRN and press [Enter]
• select
• all individual bookings for the student will be displayed. Select the relevant Booking ID# to be added to the group booking
• repeat the process for the non-student traveller
• the TMA will add the booking(s) into the group. Take note of the Booking ID# for the student and non-student traveller
• link the student and non-student traveller as per Step 2 above

To finalise the travel booking, see Table 9.

A travel variation involves changing the details (for example, dates or destination) of a travel booking with a status of Requested or Booked in the Travel Management Application (TMA).

In some cases, the new travel date is unknown. For example, when a student attends a funeral in the community and the community/family cannot confirm the date the funeral will end. The existing travel is cancelled and re-booked with the new travel date when known.

A travel booking can be varied if received more than 24 hours prior to departure.

If a request to vary travel is within 24 hours of a trip/leg, a No Show - Penalty or No Show - No Penalty will be recorded depending on the reason for the variation.

Requests to vary requested or booked travel must meet any of the following allowable exceptions:

• unforeseen and exceptional circumstances
• to reunite with their immediate family who have temporarily moved
• to attend a funeral and the parents have left their permanent home to commence arrangements early, and:
• there is no family to supervise the student, or
• to arrange transport for the student to the temporary location of the parents
• the student cannot return to or travel from their permanent home temporarily due to adverse weather events outside of their control
• in circumstances where it is deemed more convenient or appropriate for an approved traveller, who requires travel along their usual route, and needs to:
• terminate at a point prior to reaching the study location or permanent home, or
• commence their travel from a location along their usual route that is not their normal starting point

The Process and Resources pages of Determining the appropriate travel destination for ABSTUDY Fares Allowance (FAA) provides further information and scenarios for assessing travel.

Does the variation meet any of the above allowable exceptions?

• Yes, and the travel variation request been received by a Telephony Service Officer, go to Step 5
• Yes, and the travel variation request been received by the ABSTUDY Smart Centre Travel or Away from Base Teams. If the travel variation was:
• initiated by Corporate Travel Management (CTM), go to Step 4
• not initiated by CTM, go to Step 5
• received from a Telephony Service Officer, use Work Optimiser to assign the Travel Variation Request Fast Note to their inbox. If evidence is required to support the assessment, place the Fast Note on Hold to User. Go to Step 6
• No, go to Step 2

The student or non-student traveller must travel as per the pre-arranged itinerary or cancel the travel arrangements with the agency. Failure to undertake the travel may result in a No show being recorded.

Advise the relevant parties below of the outcome. Give them the opportunity to provide more information that may change the decision. See Advising verbally of an unfavourable decision.

Make genuine attempts to contact the following if not on the phone:

• parent/guardian for private boarding students
• customer for tertiary students
• education/board provider for secondary students boarding at schools/hostels and tertiary students where travel the request was submitted by an education provider

Was contact successful?

• Yes, and the travel arrangements are to:
• be varied as additional information has changed the outcome, go to Step 5
• remain as Requested/Booked, go to Step 3
• be cancelled, see Table 8
• No, go to Step 3

If contact is unsuccessful or any additional information provided has not changed the decision, reject the variation.

Select the appropriate option based on the student’s circumstances:

• Add detailed notes explaining the reason for the decision on the student and/or non-student traveller's booking. See Adding notes in the TMA Table in Travel Management Application (TMA)
• ABSTUDY Smart Centre Travel or Away from Base Teams:
• use the appropriate amendment rejected DOC template. For the ABSTUDY Travel Minimum DOC Standards, see the Resources page
• if the request was received from a Telephony Service Officer, complete the Travel Variation Request Fast Note and annotate the DOC with the outcome
• Procedure ends here

• Add detailed notes explaining the reason for the decision on the student and/or non-student traveller's booking. See Adding notes in the TMA Table in Travel Management Application (TMA)
• ABSTUDY Smart Centre Travel or Away from Base Teams:
• use the appropriate amendment rejected DOC template. For the ABSTUDY Travel Minimum DOC Standards, see the Resources page
• notify the education/board provider of the decision via email using the Amendment not approved template
• if the request was received from a Telephony Service Officer, complete the Travel Variation Request Fast Note and annotate the DOC with the outcome

Where a secondary student discontinues study before the end of the school term, they no longer qualify for ABSTUDY entitlements from the date they discontinued studies at school.

ABSTUDY Smart Centre Service Officers must follow the process in Cessation of the ABSTUDY Away from Home rate.

ABSTUDY Smart Centre Travel Officers must send a Fast Note to the ABSTUDY Smart Centre Processing Team. Include the date the student discontinued studies. Use Fast Note - select Auto text, use Students, ABSTUDY & Apprentices > Update > ABSTUDY Boarder ACTION request.

Procedure ends here.

Where a travel variation is received from CTM the booking alteration will be finalised. The TMA is updated with the new travel details, and the new itinerary is uploaded when received.

An amendment request is not required to be sent to CTM, as they were the originator of the amendment advice. Contact the student/parent/education provider by phone and advise of the revised travel details (they will also receive a revised itinerary).

If CTM verbally advise that a variation is required for 5 or more travellers, the new travel details must be sent via email from CTM to the ABSTUDY Travel positional mailbox.

Access the Travel Management Application (TMA) in the relevant customer's record, then:

• select the applicable travel request Booking ID#
• go to the Bookings tab and select Edit
• update the Booking Status to Rescheduled
• update the booking fields as required to reflect any changes from the original booking details, such as travel date. Add the text 'CTM variation - see notes' to the Comments field
• go to the Notes tab
• record detailed notes using the 'CTM: Amendment - change to Travel Date/ACM' DOC template explaining the reason for the reschedule. For the ABSTUDY Travel Minimum DOC Standards, see the Resources page
• add the new itinerary to the travel booking, if received. See Travel Management Application (TMA)
• select Save

The Bookings tab summary will display the rescheduled booking and the booked new travel arrangements.

For any change in itinerary details that will or have disrupted the travel and the student may be considered at risk, see ABSTUDY students experiencing disrupted travel.

Procedure ends here.

Has the request been received by a Telephony Service Officer and travel is for today or the next business day?

• Yes:
• Record details of the variation using Fast Note - select Auto text, use Students, ABSTUDY & Apprentices > ABSTUDY Travel > ABSTUDY Travel Variation
• Warm transfer the call immediately to the ABSTUDY Smart Centre Travel or Away from Base Teams using the Services Australia Workspace Transfer Options list
• Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 6

Is the new travel date known?

• Yes, for ABSTUDY Smart Centre:
• Telephony Service Officers, go to Step 9
• Travel and Away from Base Service Officers, go to Step 10
• No, for ABSTUDY Smart Centre:
• Telephony Service Officers, go to Step 7
• Travel and Away from Base Service Officers, go to Step 8

As the new travel date is not known, the revised travel date must be requested later. The current travel request must be cancelled.

For a student or non-student traveller requesting a variation and the travel date is 2 or more days in the future, access the Travel Management Application (TMA) in the relevant customer's record and locate the applicable Booking ID#, then:

• select the applicable travel request
• with the correct Booking ID# in context, select the Notes tab and select Edit
• add detailed notes, explaining the reason for cancelling the original request. See Adding notes in the TMA Table in Travel Management Application (TMA)
• go back to the Bookings tab
• add the text 'travel variation - see notes' in the Comments field
• save the changes and make sure the Booking Status has changed to Pending Approval. This creates a Work Item that will then allocate via Workload Management (WLM) to the ABSTUDY Smart Centre Travel or Away from Base Teams for action

Procedure ends here.

As the new travel date is not known, the revised travel date will need to be requested later. The current travel request will need to be cancelled.

For a student or non-student traveller requesting a variation and the travel date is 2 or more days in the future, access the Travel Management Application (TMA) in the relevant customer's record and locate the applicable Booking ID#, then:

• select the applicable travel request
• with the correct Booking ID# in context, select the Bookings tab and select Edit
• update Status to Cancelled
• select the relevant cancellation reason in the Status Reason field
• include details of the cancellation in the Comments field. For the ABSTUDY Travel Minimum DOC Standards, see the Resources page. Where accommodation has been requested, include any change to the number of rooms and/or beds where applicable. If the comments exceed the character limit, add all text to the Notes tab
• go to the Notes tab
• record detailed notes using the 'Cancellation – Future Date Unknown' DOC template. For the ABSTUDY Travel Minimum DOC Standards, see the Resources page
• the following text must also be recorded under the Notes tab:
• 'the journey/leg(s) can be rebooked when the new travel date is confirmed as the criteria for 'unforeseen/exceptional circumstances 'has been met'
• select Save

CTM is required to be notified of the cancellation requirement, see Table 9 > Step 5.

To key a variation to travel, access the Travel Management Application (TMA) in the relevant customer's record, then:

• select the applicable travel request Booking ID#
• go to the Notes tab and select Edit
• add detailed notes explaining the reason for the variation. See Adding notes in the TMA Table in Travel Management Application (TMA)
• go to the Bookings tab
• update the booking fields, such as travel date and destination, as required. Add the text 'travel variation - see notes' to the Comments field. If the comments exceed the character limit, add all current text to the Notes tab then delete the text to add the above
• go to the Overview tab, check the Emergency Contact Details and update if required
• select Save
• after saving, make sure the Booking Status has changed to Pending Approval. This will then allocate via Workload Management (WLM) to the ABSTUDY Smart Centre Travel or Away from Base Teams for action

Tell the student or non-student traveller the variation request will be assessed, and they will be contacted to confirm the outcome of their request.

Procedure ends here.

Note: where an urgent request for travel within 2 business days of the request is being sent to CTM, contact CTM prior to sending the request to:

• check flight availability/charter options, and
• notify CTM that an urgent travel request is being sent

Is the request to change the forward or return trip only?

• Yes:
• to change the destination on the forward or return trip only, go to Step 11
• if the forward trip has been undertaken, go to Step 11
• if the forward trip has not been undertaken, go to Step 12
• No, go to Step 12

To key the variation in the TMA for a destination, or if the forward trip has been undertaken:

• select the applicable travel request
• with the correct Booking ID# in context, select the Bookings tab and select Edit
• delete all travel details that are to be varied (such as return date and destination)
• leave all other travel details that have already been undertaken unaltered
• select Save

A new booking will now need to be created for the trip that is to be varied. Whilst still in the relevant customer's record:

• return to Process Direct and select Fares icon
• select Create New Booking. For coding assistance, see Table 5. After the new booking is created, return to this step
• after updating the Overview tab, go to the Bookings tab and insert all travel details that require variation (such as travel date and destination)
• update the Booking Status to Rescheduled
• include details of the amended travel in the Comments field. For the ABSTUDY Travel Minimum DOC Standards, see the Resources page. Where accommodation has been booked, include any change to the number of rooms and/or beds where applicable. If the comments exceed the character limit, add all text to the Notes tab
• select Save
• go to the Notes tab and select Edit
• detailed notes must be recorded using the appropriate amendment DOC template. For the ABSTUDY Travel Minimum DOC Standards, see the Resources page
• select Save
• where applicable, complete the Travel Variation Request Fast Note and annotate the DOC with the outcome

CTM is required to be notified of the variation requirement, see Table 9.

Access the Travel Management Application (TMA) in the relevant customer's record, then:

• with the correct Booking ID# in context, select the Bookings tab and select Edit
• update the booking fields as required to reflect any changes from the original booking details, such as travel date and destination
• update the Booking Status to Rescheduled
• include details of the amended travel in the Comments field. For the ABSTUDY Travel Minimum DOC Standards, see the Resources page. Where accommodation has been booked, include any change to the number of rooms and/or beds where applicable. If the comments exceed the character limit, add all text to the Notes tab
• go to the Notes tab
• detailed notes must be recorded using the appropriate amendment DOC template. For the ABSTUDY Travel Minimum DOC Standards, see the Resources page
• go to the Overview tab, check the Emergency Contact Details and update if required
• select Save
• where applicable, complete the Travel Variation Request Fast Note and annotate the DOC with the outcome

CTM is required to be notified of the variation requirement, see Table 9.

A travel booking can be cancelled if received more than 24 hours prior to departure if the traveller(s) no longer require the FAA for that journey.

If a request to cancel travel is within 24 hours of a trip/leg, a No Show - Penalty or No Show - No Penalty will be recorded depending on the reason the journey needs cancelling.

Cancellation of pre-booked/authorised travel means travel for the same journey/trip/leg may not be re-booked unless there are unforeseen and exceptional circumstances. Students and non-student travellers must consider this when requesting a cancellation.

Ask all student or non-student travellers who want to cancel a booked journey if:

• the journey is no longer required, or
• they want a variation to the original booking for the journey

Does the student or non-student traveller wish to proceed with the cancellation?

• Yes, and the cancellation request is at least 24 hours before the departure, for
• Telephony Service Officers, go to Step 2
• Travel and Away from Base Service Officers, go to Step 3
• Yes, and the cancellation request received within 24 hours of the departure, see No Show for ABSTUDY travel. Procedure ends here
• No, add detailed notes explaining the reason for the decision on the student and/or non-student traveller's booking. See Adding notes in the TMA Table in Travel Management Application (TMA). Procedure ends here

Is travel the next day or business day?

• Yes:
• Record details of the cancellation using Fast Note - select Auto text, use Students, ABSTUDY & Apprentices > ABSTUDY Travel > ABSTUDY Travel Cancellation
• Immediately warm transfer the call to the ABSTUDY Smart Centre Travel or Away from Base Teams using the Services Australia Workspace Transfer Options list
• No, access the Travel Management Application (TMA) in the relevant customer's record and locate the applicable Booking ID#, then:
• select the Notes tab and select Edit
• add detailed notes explaining the reason for cancelling the original request. See Adding notes in the TMA Table in Travel Management Application (TMA)
• go back to the Bookings tab
• add the text 'travel cancellation - see notes' in the Comments field. If the comments will exceed the character limit, add all current text to the Notes tab then delete the text to add the above
• save the changes and make sure the Booking Status has changed to Pending Approval. This will then allocate via Workload Management to the ABSTUDY Smart Centre Travel or Away from Base Teams for action. Procedure ends here

Is the cancellation for the entire journey?

• Yes, go to Step 4
• No, to cancel:
• a forward or return trip, go to Step 5
• terminal transfers and/or accommodation, go to Step 6

To record a cancellation of a travel booking for a student or non-student traveller, access the Travel Management Application (TMA) in the relevant customer's record and all linked travellers and locate the applicable Booking ID #, then:

• select the applicable travel request
• with the correct Booking ID# in context, select the Bookings tab and select Edit
• update the Booking Status to Cancelled
• select the relevant cancellation reason in the Status Reason field
• include details of the cancellation in the Comments field. For the ABSTUDY Travel Minimum DOC Standards, see the Resources page. Where accommodation has been booked, include any change to the number of rooms and/or beds where applicable. If the comments exceed the character limit, add all text to the Notes tab
• go to the Notes tab
• record detailed notes on the relevant booking using the appropriate cancellation DOC template. For the ABSTUDY Travel Minimum DOC Standards, see the Resources page
• select Save
• where applicable, annotate the Travel Cancellation Request DOC with the outcome

Note: when cancelling a journey for a traveller that is the only party linked to a Notional Student Traveller booking, Service Officers must make sure the Notional Student Traveller Booking Status is also changed to Cancelled.

The cancelled travel booking must be sent to Corporate Travel Management (CTM) for finalisation, see Table 9 > Step 5.

To record a cancellation for a trip within a journey for a student or non-student traveller, access the Travel Management Application (TMA) in the relevant customer's record and locate the applicable Booking ID#, then:

• select the applicable travel request
• with the correct Booking ID# in context, select the Bookings tab and select Edit
• delete the travel date that is to be cancelled. Note: if removing the forward travel date, the remaining return date will need to be moved into the Forward Travel Date field. Make sure the correct locations are reflected in the Travel From and Travel To fields
• select Save
• a new booking will now need to be created for the trip that is to be cancelled. Whilst still in the relevant customer's record, return to Process Direct. Select the Fares icon and Create New Booking. For coding assistance, see Table 5. After the new booking is created return to this step
• insert the travel date for the cancelled travel and complete/change any other details as required
• insert the Booking Reference number from the original Booking ID#
• include details of the cancellation in the Comments field. for the ABSTUDY Travel Minimum DOC Standards, see the Resources page. Where accommodation has been booked, include any change to the number of rooms and/or beds where applicable. If the comments exceed the character limit, add all text to the Notes tab
• update the Booking Status to Cancelled
• select the relevant cancellation reason in the Status Reason field
• go to the Notes tab
• record detailed notes using the appropriate cancellation DOC template. For the ABSTUDY Travel Minimum DOC Standards, see the Resources page
• select Save
• where applicable, annotate the Travel Cancellation Request DOC with the outcome

Note: when cancelling a trip for a traveller that is the only party linked to a Notional Student Traveller booking, Service Officers must make sure the Notional Student Traveller booking is updated to reflect these changes.

The cancelled travel booking must be sent to CTM for finalisation, see Table 9 > Step 5.

To record the cancellation of a terminal transfers and/or accommodation for a student or non-student traveller, access the Travel Management Application (TMA) in the relevant customer's record and locate the applicable Booking ID #. Then:

• select the applicable travel request
• with the correct Booking ID# in context, select the Bookings tab and select Edit
• do not update the Booking Status
• include what is to be cancelled in the Comments field. For the ABSTUDY Travel Minimum DOC Standards, see the Resources page
  Where accommodation has been booked, include any change to the number of rooms and/or beds where applicable. If the comments exceed the character limit, add all text to the Notes tab
• go to the Notes tab
• record detailed notes on the relevant booking using the appropriate cancellation DOC template. For the ABSTUDY Travel Minimum DOC Standards, see the Resources page
• select Save
• where applicable, annotate the Travel Cancellation Request DOC with the outcome

The cancelled travel booking must be sent to CTM for finalisation, see Table 9 > Step 5.

Is this an urgent request?

• Yes, for ABSTUDY Smart Centre:
• Telephony Service Officers, warm transfer to the ABSTUDY Travel or Away from Base Teams using the Services Australia Workspace Transfer Options. Procedure ends here
• Travel and Away from Base Service Officers, go to Step 2
• No, for ABSTUDY Smart Centre:
• Telephony Service Officers, pending travel request will be allocated to the ABSTUDY Travel Team. Procedure ends here
• Travel and Away from Base Service Officers, go to Step 3

ABSTUDY Travel and Away from Base Service Officers must not send next day or next business day travel requests after 3 pm (Melbourne/Sydney time) through to Corporate Travel Management (CTM) unless:

• Unforeseen and exceptional circumstances apply
• All other options for the traveller have been exhausted
• Team Leader approval is obtained

If all above criteria is met, make verbal contact with CTM to confirm travel can be booked.

Note: if Team Leaders have any concerns over the assessment of the urgent travel, enquiries can be sent to Smart Centres Service Delivery Support Team for ABSTUDY and AIC.

Did CTM confirm travel can be booked?

• Yes, if the request is being processed on a:
• weekend or outside of business hours (8 am - 6 pm Melbourne/Sydney time), Service Officers must ask the CTM after hours consultant to complete the booking over the phone, then go to Step 5
• weekday, during business hours (8 am - 6 pm Melbourne/Sydney time), go to Step 5
• No:
• reject the request
• make verbal contact with the education institution, boarding provider or parent/guardian who made the request to tell them the request cannot be met
• discuss the expectations for future travel requests, and
• discuss other travel options for the customer
• go to Step 4

Has the travel request been approved?

• Yes, send the booking request to CTM, go to Step 5
• No, go to Step 4

Before rejecting the travel request, advise the relevant parties of the outcome. Give them the opportunity to provide more information that may change the decision. See Advising verbally of an unfavourable decision.

Private boarders and tertiary students

Make genuine attempts to contact the parent/guardian for private boarding students and the customer for tertiary students.

Secondary students boarding at schools/hostels and tertiary students where travel request submitted by education provider

• Make genuine attempts to contact the education provider to tell them the outcome
• Notify the boarding education provider of the decision via email using:
• the Pre-booked travel rejected template, or
• for compassionate expulsion requests where the ABSTUDY expulsion checklist was not provided, use the Compassionate Travel - Not Approved template
• As the education provider is notified by email, the Fares Allowance rejection letter must be inhibited

If contact attempts were unsuccessful or any additional information provided did not change the outcome, reject the travel request.

Access the Travel Management Application (TMA) in the relevant customer's record, then:

• locate the relevant Booking ID# and bring into context
• go to the Bookings tab. Select Edit
• update the Booking Status to Rejected
• select the relevant Status Reason to reflect the rejection reason
• make sure the Issue Letter toggle displays the appropriate response:
• Secondary students at boarding schools/hostels - No
• All other travellers - Yes
• where the Issue Letter toggle is set to Yes, this will generate the rejection letter. For further information, see Travel Management Application (TMA)
• go to the Notes tab
• record notes using the relevant 'rejection of pre-booked travel' DOC template. For the ABSTUDY Travel Minimum DOC Standards, see the Resources page
• upload any relevant email(s) to the Documents tab on the student's record for an individual request or the group booking where there are multiple travellers
• select Save
• delete all the customer information from desktop and local drives when all required action is taken

Procedure ends here.

Travel bookings recorded in the TMA are exported into a spreadsheet, which is sent to CTM to finalise a booking, amendment, or cancellation.

Only export bookings with the following statuses:

• Requested
• Rescheduled
• Cancelled
• No Show - Penalty
• No Show - No Penalty

The correct record must be in context when exporting bookings. Bookings exported from a student or Organisation record will auto-populate the Institution Contact Information section of the ABSTUDY Travel Authorisation - Booking Form Excel spreadsheet. Whereas bookings exported from a non-student traveller's record require a manual update to the Institution Contact Information section of the ABSTUDY Travel Authorisation - Booking Form Excel spreadsheet.

To create a travel export, access the TMA in the relevant record as follows:

• individual students with or without linked non-student travellers - export from the student's record
• non-student travellers with multiple linked students - export from the non-student traveller's record
• notional student travellers with linked non-student travellers - export from the non-student traveller's record and de-select the notional student traveller
• group bookings - export form the organisation record

For requests to change non-student travellers see the Changing non-student travellers’ option below for additional requirements.

When in the relevant record, locate the applicable Booking ID#:

• select the Maintenance tab
• select Export Bookings, this will display all applicable travellers associated with the Booking ID# in context
• select the travellers for export. Note: the TMA will default to auto select all travellers. De-select any bookings where travel is not required or approved
• select Export Selected Travel Arrangements
• an ABSTUDY Travel Authorisation - Booking Form Excel spreadsheet (.xlsx) will be generated
• make sure the Institution Contact Information on the Booking Information sheet reflects the correct Education Institution
• manually insert the below in the ABSTUDY Travel team contact information fields:
• Contact Name: key ABSTUDY Travel
• Contact Number: key 131 158
• A/H Contact Number: key ABSTUDY Travel Geelong after hours phone number
• Manually insert any other required information on the Booking Information sheet, including the relevant CTM Profile Number:
• Secondary Students 3575145
• Tertiary Students 2846035
• Check the booking data on the Travel Information sheet is correct by cross referencing it against the original request. If any comments were not exported as they exceeded the character limit, manually add these to each booking row by copying and pasting the comments added to the Notes tab
• Manually format travel bookings on the Travel Information sheet as follows:
• group students and their respective non-student travellers together (such as supervisors), the students booking row should be above the non-student travellers
• where non-student travellers are travelling with students, fill the non-student traveller's rows with another colour
• group bookings for travellers going to/from the same community/town/city/region together. For example, all travellers going to/from the Torres Strait Islands should be grouped together as well as travellers going to/from the same Island
• Where travel is requested for a dependant male traveller, the title must be listed as Mr
• Where 2 travellers have the same name, Snr (senior) or Jnr (junior) must be added after the traveller's surname, for example John Smith Snr and John Smith Jnr
• Save the travel export spreadsheet to the desktop

If the request is to cancel a non-student traveller booking and a new traveller is required, Service Officers must:

• create a travel export for the Cancelled and Requested bookings. If the non-student travellers are:
• not in a group, each booking must be exported individually
• in a group, select both bookings and export together
• send the bookings to CTM on the same ABSTUDY Travel Authorisation - Booking Form. If the bookings were exported individually:
• go to the Travel Information sheet on both Booking Forms
• copy and paste the Requested booking details to a new row on the same Booking Form as the Cancelled booking
• close the Booking Form with only the Requested booking details as this is no longer required
• go to the Booking Information sheet and Select Amendment in the Action field

See the Resources page for an example.

To send a travel request to CTM:

• create a draft email
• update the email header fields:
• From ABSTUDY Travel team
• To CTM business hours team
• if the request is for urgent or next business day travel processed on a weekend or outside of business hours, send the email to the CTM after hours team and Cc the CTM business hours team
• Cc ABSTUDY Travel team
• attach the previously saved ABSTUDY Travel Authorisation - Booking Form export Excel spreadsheet
• edit subject heading to include the below details, in the following order:
• approved code
• earliest travel date
• total number of passengers
• travel reason
• education provider

Note: do not include any other text in the email subject line. For example, AMD - xx/xx/xxxx - 25 PAX - School Vacation- education/board provider. Where a request requires the attention of a specific CTM consultant or is in relation to an urgent travel request verbally approved by CTM, include 'ATTN (Consultant Name)'at the start of the subject line.

• Use the Travel request sent to TMC template
• Send the email from the ABSTUDY Travel positional mailbox using the OFFICIAL security classification
• the travel booking request, variation or cancellation has now been referred to CTM for action
• if actioning a request from an education/board provider, notify them of the outcome via reply email:
• for bulk travel requests use the Bulk travel request actioned template
• for all other types of travel requests use the appropriate ABSTUDY Fares Allowance approval template
• remove any text added to the subject line when the email was categorised and any notes added to the body of the original email
• for secondary school bulk travel requests, complete the required information in the National Bulk Travel checklist, located in the Files tab of the ABSTUDY Travel Microsoft Teams chat
• delete all customer information from desktop and local drives when all required action is taken
• file all emails in the relevant folder in the ABSTUDY Travel positional mailbox

Procedure ends here.