Non-student travellers for ABSTUDY 010-02100180

Item

Scenario

1

Supervisor travel appropriate due to change of flight

Nine secondary school students are travelling from their isolated community to their boarding school in the city. The only appropriate mode of transport is to take the journey in 2 legs. The first leg is by chartered light aircraft from home to a regional airport and the second leg from there to the city on a regular commercial flight. The only light aircraft that can use the local airstrip can carry no more than 4 passengers.

• As the journey requires a change of flight, supervision of the students would be beneficial. Allowing one supervisor per 6 students, there would normally be 2 supervisors allowed for 9 students. In this case, however, 3 supervisors would be required as there will be 3 aircraft needed for the initial leg of the journey

The local community can provide 2 supervisors and the school will provide one of their teachers to be the other one.

• FAA will cover return travel for the teacher to travel from the school to the community (to meet up with the children) and back again. The 2 community supervisors will have their return travel from the community to the school authorised

It is not possible to do the return journey in one day.

• Additional costs associated with travel will be approved (to cover the supervisors' accommodation and meals)

2

Supervisor travel appropriate due to the age of the students

In a remote community 300 kilometres out of Katherine, there are 3 children aged between 12 and 14 who undertake secondary schooling via the Katherine School of the Air. The students receive ABSTUDY Schooling A entitlements. Twice a year the students are required to attend week-long on-campus residential blocks in Katherine. They qualify for Away from Base assistance to meet the accommodation, meals and travel costs for this activity. Under the provisions of FAA, a charter flight is booked to transport these students to Katherine. ABSTUDY has been asked to approve FAA for a supervisor to accompany these young students on the charter flight.

Given the age of the students, it is desirable that they be supervised on the charter flight. FAA for a supervisor to accompany these students on the charter flight to Katherine would be approved. The supervisor may be a parent, a community representative or a representative from the Katherine School of the Air. The supervisor is entitled to a return journey.

3

Supervisor travel appropriate due to student behaviour

Wongutha Christian Aboriginal School is a boarding school near Esperance in rural Western Australia (WA). At the end of each term, many of the boarding students are entitled to FAA for a flight from Esperance to Perth. A supervisor would not normally be necessary on this flight, as the students are familiar with this journey. However, last term there were some problems with the students' behaviour on the flight. For this reason, Wongutha has requested that a supervisor from the school travel with the students.

Due to the students' recent behavioural problems while undertaking this travel, it is desirable that a supervisor accompany the students on the flight from Esperance to Perth. A return journey for a supervisor is approved.

4

Supervisor mandatory due to missed travel

Jody is attending Djarragun College in Cairns and has returned home to Aurukun for the vacation period. Jody has requested FAA to return to school at the commencement of term 4. Jody has been attending Djarragun College for the last 3 years and is familiar with the journey, so a supervisor would not normally be necessary. However, Jody has missed travel on 2 prior occasions this year without valid reason.

Due to Jody's frequently missed travel this year, a supervisor is mandatory to undertake further travel for the remainder of the academic year. FAA would not be authorised and booked in advance until a supervisor is nominated to travel with Jody.

5

Dependant's travel

Peta is partnered with 3 children aged less than 10 years old and has been accepted to study a Bachelor of Nursing at Edith Cowan University in Perth. Peta is enrolled internally and qualifies for commencement and end of travel from the permanent home in Port Hedland. Peta's partner is working full-time but decides to quit work and move the whole family to Perth to support Peta's studies. Peta's partner must give 2 weeks' notice at work and therefore Peta travels to Perth alone to commence the course and find suitable accommodation. Peta's partner and the children remain in Port Hedland for another 4 weeks and then seek FAA to assist them to move to Perth.

Peta's partner and the children qualify for dependant's travel because the family now qualify for a Low Income Health Care Card (LIC) and it is reasonable that they travel to join Peta 4 weeks later so that Peta's partner could finish work, and accommodation could be arranged in Perth.

Peta, the dependent partner and children will not qualify for vacation travel. Even though Peta is undertaking a 3-year course, once dependent's travel has been used to unite the family at the study location the vacation travel entitlement for all members of the family (including Peta) is forfeited. This is because there is no need for the family to return home to reunite the family during the year.

6

Dependant travelling with Away from Base (AFB) student

Kari is a single parent with a 4-year-old child and receives Parenting Payment Single and ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement. Kari is currently studying a Bachelor of Arts with the University of Queensland (UQ) via online.

Kari must attend a 2-week compulsory residential school on campus and lives more than 4 hours away from the campus. The activity is an approved Away from Base (AFB) activity.

Kari has no alternative care for her 4-year-old child at their home location. The university is able to provide child-minding services for enrolled students.

As Kari has no alternative care arrangements at the home location, approval of Additional Assistance in lieu of Fares Allowance for Kari's 4 year old dependent child to attend the 2 week compulsory residential school on campus can be approved.

Costs for the dependent that can be covered by Additional Assistance include fares, meals and reasonable additional accommodation costs. For example, cot hire or additional bed fee. Other costs, including childcare, are Kari's responsibility.

7

Education representative travelling as a supervisor with their dependant

Lowanna is travelling as a supervisor who is a representative of Geelong Grammar School and will supervise ABSTUDY student's travel to boarding school.

Lowanna requests their dependent child, Koa, travel with as there is nobody else that can travel with the student's and nobody else to look after Koa.

In this circumstance, Services Australia cannot approve the travel for Koa and would escalate to DSS to seek approval.

8

Family member travelling as a supervisor with their dependent

Tau is an ABSTUDY student from Horn Island is currently living with their Aunty, Tarni, in Cairns to attend the local state high school under a private boarding arrangement.

Tarni is acting as the supervisor for Tau and intends to accompany them home to Horn Island at the end of term.

Tarni advises that nobody else can travel with Tau and there is nobody available to look after their 4-year-old dependent child, Kai. Tarni requests that Kai travel with them to Horn Island.

In this circumstance, Additional Assistance (in lieu of Fares Allowance) is approved for Kai to travel with Tarni.

9

School aged dependent of Family member travelling as a supervisor

Sharnice is an approved supervisor for Cameron and ABSTUDY student. Sharnice requests their 11-year-old dependant, Bodhi to travel with them on the journey to boarding school. Bodhi has special needs.

Sharnice advises that nobody else can travel with Cameron, and nobody else available to look after Bodhi.

In this circumstance, Additional Assistance (in lieu of Fares Allowance) is approved for Bodhi as Bodhi is under 17.

10

Family member travel appropriate due to illness

Theodore is in the first year of secondary school and is approved to live away from home and board at Clontarf College. Theodore has contracted tuberculosis and is bedridden at Sir Charles Gardiner Hospital. The medical staff are very worried about Theodore's health and morale and have recommended family contact to boost recovery. The medical staff have ruled out Theodore travelling home due to the health issues, as well as the potential for infection of other travellers, and recommend a visit from a parent.

Theodore's parent is approved for FAA for a chartered aircraft and a Qantas flight to visit Theodore from the permanent home in Oombulgurri.

11

Family or community member travel appropriate to attend school event

Rylan is from Gibb River and attends Great Southern Grammar School as a boarding student.

In the home community of Gibb River, Rylan had been receiving guitar lessons from the neighbour, Jim, for several years. Soon Rylan will be performing in the school production and has asked Jim to attend. Rylan has not utilised any trips for Special Purpose Visit (SPV) travel this year.

Jim is a community member with significant ties to the student, as both a neighbour and a long-time music instructor. As Rylan has not exhausted the limits of approval for SPV travel, Jim is approved for FAA to visit Rylan at the term address for the purpose of attending the school production.

This trip will be considered one event for SPV travel entitlements in the calendar year.

12

Travelling companion appropriate for ill or disabled student

Lateisha is legally blind and is approved to live away from home to attend the Kulkinya School for the Blind in Adelaide. Lateisha is from the Ernabella community in the Pit Lands in far north South Australia and is required to catch a chartered plane from Ernabella to Alice Springs then a Qantas flight to Adelaide. Lateisha is in the fourth year at Kulkinya.

Lateisha would be approved for a travelling companion to assist from Ernabella to Kulkinya School for the Blind in Adelaide. Even though Lateisha has made the journey each term for the previous 3 years, as the travel involves changing from a chartered flight to a Qantas flight and negotiating around Alice Springs and Adelaide airport, a travelling companion would be approved to accompany Lateisha to Adelaide and the companion would qualify for a return journey.

A travelling companion can be a service animal relating to the customer's disability (for example, a guide dog).

13

Travelling companion not appropriate for ill or disabled student

Freddy is 23 years old and has completed an undergraduate degree at Melbourne University. He has now commenced study in a master's course at Queensland University. Freddy's home is in Sydney and he qualifies for commencement and end of study travel. Freddy is deaf. Freddy has requested a travelling companion to accompany him from Sydney to Brisbane.

Freddy would not be approved for FAA for a travelling companion as the deafness does not prevent successful travelling between destinations or easily managing around a domestic airport as evidenced by Freddy having travelled from Sydney to Melbourne each year without an ABSTUDY approved companion whilst undertaking an undergraduate degree. Unless Freddy provides an additional reason as to why a travelling companion was required, approval would not be given.

14

Education institution representative travel approval

Burnely College in Brisbane has received an application from 6 Year 8 students from Aurukun to attend the college. Aurukun does not have a secondary school and the students will qualify for away from home entitlements to attend a secondary school away from their permanent home. Burnely requires all prospective students from remote communities to undertake a preliminary selection test and interview prior to acceptance into the college. This is clearly articulated in their school admittance rules. Burnely have requested FAA for a staff member to travel to Aurukun for the day to undertake the testing and interview in the student's home communities.

FAA for the education institution representative to attend Aurukun would be approved. Each student will qualify for ABSTUDY FAA to live away from home to access a secondary level of study, and because Burnely College require all students from remote communities to be tested prior to acceptance into the college, FAA for the students to undertake the test would be approved. However, as it is more cost effective for Services Australia to pay for one education institution representative to travel to Aurukun for the approved testing exercise than it is for 6 students to travel to Brisbane, the education institution representative will be approved for FAA.

15

Supervisor travel appropriate due to students ages

A group of students from Elcho Island have been invited to attend auditions at NAISDA Dance College. NAISDA requires prospective students to attend these auditions to assess suitability prior to being offered a place into the following year's tertiary course. All the students are under 18 years of age. As the students have never left the community on their own before, and, based on their ages, a request for a supervisor has been submitted with the travel request for the students.

A supervisor can be approved in this scenario. As each student qualifies for FAA, and because of the student's ages, travel experience and the likelihood of there being changes in travel types/terminals, we would encourage and therefore approve FAA for a supervisor.

16

Supervisor under 18 years of age

Four students are returning to school for term 2 from Saibai Island to Cairns.

Three of the students are in year 7 and under the age of 12, hence a mandatory supervisor is required.

The remaining student is in year 12 and under 18 years of age.

The year 12 student has been requested, as a representative of the school, to supervise the 3 younger students.

Even though the year 12 student is under 18 years of age, as the student is an experienced traveller with no history of No Shows, it is acceptable for the student to be considered a supervisor for the younger students.

17

Travel for a non-student dependent of a supervisor, family member or community member traveller

Byron is 12 years old and in year 6 at the local primary school. Byron lives in a remote community and will need to move Away from Home next year for high school.

Byron has been offered a place at St Patrick's College in Townsville. St Patrick's College run a weeklong orientation program that Byron and their parent, Priscilla will attend. They are approved for orientation travel to check out the school, meet the teachers and boarding staff and see where Byron will be living.

Priscilla also has a 3 year old dependent child, Kyra, and during the orientation activity there is no one else to look after Kyra. Priscilla has no one else that could take Byron to the orientation week. Priscilla is an approved family member traveller and requests travel for Kyra also.

As there is no alternate traveller who can take Byron and no one to look after Kyra at the home address, FAA for Kyra can be approved to travel as a family member traveller.

18

Special Purpose Visit Travel for family member or community member traveller

Kirra is from Halls Creek attends Yiramalay Studio School. Kirra has been selected to play a lead role in a school play. The school have invited Kirra's family to the opening night performance.

Kirra's parent, Arika and the family are all very proud and want to attend the opening night. Arika requests Special Purpose Visit (SPV) travel for themselves, Kirra's grandmother and Aunty. Kirra has not accessed SPV travel in the current year.

The request for 3 family members to attend opening night would be considered a reasonable number of travellers.

FAA can be approved for Arika, Kirra's grandmother and Aunty for a return trip from Halls Creek to the term address. The FAA would also cover accommodation and meals.

This event would count as Kirra accessing 1 SPV travel entitlement in the calendar year.

19

Orientation Visit Travel for family member or community member traveller

Jahli is from Doomadgee and will be moving away from home next year to start high school. Brisbane Boys' College have invited Jahli and their family to attend an open day and request orientation travel for Jahli to attend.

Brisbane Boys' College submit a travel request for orientation travel Jahli, both their parents, a grandparent and 2 aunties to attend the open day.

The request for 5 family members to attend the open day would not be considered a reasonable number of travellers.

FAA can be approved for Jahli and their 2 parents for a return trip from Doomadgee to the open day. The FAA would also cover accommodation and meals.

20

Special Purpose Visit Travel for multiple family or community members

Shakira is from Bamaga and is boarding at Djarragun College. Shakira will be graduating year 12 in November and has invited guests to attend the graduation.

Djarragun College submits a travel request for Special Purpose Visit travel for Shakira and 10 family/community members. As the request is for more than 5 family or community members to attend, further investigation is needed to confirm that all requested travellers have a significant tie to Shakira.

Shakira's parents advise that the request included travel for themselves, a grandparent and an aunty who have been a large part of Shakira's upbringing, and all are very proud of Shakira. The other travellers are part of the community but do not have a significant tie to Shakira.

It would be reasonable for Shakira's parents, grandparent, and aunty to travel to the graduation. Travel would not be approved for the other travellers that do not have significant ties to Shakira.

FAA can be approved for Shakira's 2 parents, 1 Grandparent and 1 Aunty for a return trip from Bamaga to the graduation. The FAA would also cover accommodation and meals.