DETYA Certified Agreement

Schedule 4 - Remote Localities Assistance

• 1. General
• 2. Interpretation
• 3. Remote Localities Assistance Package
  • 3.2 Payment of Remote Localities Assistance
• 4. Application 
• 5. Air-Conditioning Allowance
• 6. Medical, dental, emergency or compassionate fares assistance
• 7. Reimbursement of fares of children at school away from employee’s location
• 8. Transfer from DETYA Remote Locality Offices
• 9. Establishment of new DETYA Remote Locality Work Places

1. General

1.1 In recognising the geographic diversity of the Department’s work locations this Schedule acknowledges the elements attached to living and working in the Department’s remote localities. These elements are:

• isolation (distance from nearest capital city)
• climatic conditions, and
• living conditions (accessibility to goods & services, utilities).

1.2 The provisions in this Schedule replace all entitlements under any arrangements that may have applied to the employee before the date of certification of this agreement, including:

• District Allowance
• Remote Locality Leave Fares 
• Additional Annual Leave entitlements
• Remote Locality Additional Leave Loading
• Air-conditioning Subsidy.

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2. Interpretation

2.1 For the purposes of this Schedule,

“dependant” means: the employee’s spouse or partner, or child (under 18, or under 20 if a full time student), who live with the employee and who are fully or substantially dependent on the employee; and 

“family” means a spouse or partner, a dependant or other child, a parent, a sister or brother, and any other person who is, because of special circumstances, approved by the Secretary.

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3. Remote Localities Assistance Package

3.1 In recognising the circumstances at clause.1.1 above, and whether the employee is with or without dependants, ongoing employees at the locations contained in Column 1 of the Table at 3.1.1 below will be entitled to the relevant annual amount of Remote Localities Assistance specified in Column 2 or Column 3. These arrangements replace any District Allowance, Remote Locality Leave Fares, Additional Annual Leave entitlements or Remote Locality Additional Leave Loading that may have formerly applied to the employee under clause 1.2 above.

3.1.1 Table

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3.2 Payment of Remote Localities Assistance

3.2.1 Employees commencing service at a remote location

3.2.1.1 Subject to clause 3.2.2.2 below, employees commencing service at a location contained at Column 1 in the Table at 3.1.1 after the date of certification of this Agreement, will be entitled to;

(a) an annual payment of 60% of the relevant amount in Column 2 or Column 3 following the completion of 12 months continuous service at that location, and after each completed 12 months of service thereafter; the payment will be paid on a pro-rata basis for employees ceasing work at that location; and

(b) a fortnightly payment of 40% of the relevant amount as part of salary from the date of commencement of service at the location.

3.2.2 Current employees working at remote locations

3.2.2.1 Subject to clauses 3.2.2.2 and 4 below, current employees at a location contained at Column 1 in the Table at 3.1.1 after the date of certification of this Agreement will have their entitlement to:

(a) the payment of 60% of the relevant amount at Column 2 or Column 3 accrue 12 months after their air-fare entitlement would have accrued under the arrangements that applied immediately before the date of certification of this agreement, and after each completed 12 months of service at the location thereafter; any payment will be paid on pro-rata basis for employees ceasing work at that location; and

(b) a fortnightly payment of 40% of the relevant amount as part of salary from the date of certification of this Agreement.

3.2.2.2 Any period of Leave Without Pay for greater than 30 calendar days will defer date of accrual by the number of days in excess of the 30 days.

3.2.2.3 Employees will be required to provide proof of “dependants” in accordance with the interpretation at clause 2 above (proof of dependency and age of child) before payment is approved.

3.2.2.4 If both an employee and their spouse (excluding former spouse), or partner, are both eligible to receive Remote Localities Assistance (either from DETYA, or equivalent arrangements from another APS employer), only one of the employees will be paid the dependants’ rate, if eligible. The amount of Remote Localities Assistance payable to the other employee will be that applicable to an employee without dependants.

3.2.2.5 The amount of the Remote Localities Assistance will be regarded as salary for taxation purposes.

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4. Application 

4.1 An employee who has already used their annual entitlement for reimbursement of fares which accrued under the arrangements that applied immediately before the certification of this Agreement, is not entitled to receive the 60% amount under paragraph 3.2.2.1(a) of this Schedule until the date on which the entitlement next accrues to the employee.

4.2 Any unused entitlements for reimbursement of fares that an employee accrued under the arrangements that applied before the date of certification of this Agreement are to be used by 30 June 2001. Any unused entitlements will lapse thereafter.

4.3 An employee who receives payment of Travel Allowance under clause 18.1.2 of this Agreement for the purposes of temporarily working at a DETYA remote locality contained in Column 1 of the Table at 3.1.1 above is not entitled to receive any payment otherwise applicable to that locality, under this Schedule.

4.4 Where an employee in a DETYA remote locality demonstrates that they are disadvantaged by the Remote Localities Assistance Package due to their use of remote localities conditions entitlements over the three year period preceding the agreement, the Secretary will approve payment of an additional amount to the employee as a supplement to the annual lump sum payment specified 3.2.2.1(a).

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5. Air-Conditioning Allowance

5.1 An ongoing employee who is based at a DETYA remote locality contained in Column 1 of the Table at 3.1.1 above, and who lives in a dwelling owned or leased by the Commonwealth, will be entitled to an Air-conditioning Allowance at the rate of $1,100, payable annually and taxed at the source, following the completion of 12 months continuous service at that location, and after each completed 12 months of service thereafter; the payment will be pro-rata for employees ceasing work at that location.

5.2 The entitlement in 5.1 above replaces any costs reimbursement arrangements for air-conditioning subsidy that applied before the date of certification of this Agreement. Any outstanding claims for reimbursement submitted by an employee to the Department prior to the date of certification of this Agreement will be processed in accordance with the arrangements applicable at that time. The Department will not accept any retrospective claims for reimbursement made after the date of certification of this Agreement.

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6. Medical, dental, emergency or compassionate fares assistance

6.1 Fares assistance may be authorised by the Secretary for an ongoing employee based in a DETYA remote locality office where:

(a) a member of the employee’s family, or the employee’s spouse’s family, dies or becomes critically or dangerously ill and the employee or his or her spouse travels to either attend the family member’s funeral or to visit the critically or dangerously ill family member; or

(b) the employee or dependant of the employee who resides with the employee, is required to travel for:

(i) specialist medical treatment; or

(ii) medical treatment because there is no resident medical practitioner at the locality; or

(iii) emergency dental treatment because there is no resident dentist at the locality.

6.2 Fares assistance may comprise:

(a) reimbursement to the employee for the cost of an economy return airfare in respect of the travel within Australia, and which may include reasonable costs for an attendant if it is necessary for the employee to be accompanied by an attendant, in respect of the travel within Australia; or

(b) where use of a motor vehicle is approved, or is the most appropriate form of travel, Motor Vehicle Allowance consistent with clause 18.1.4 of this Agreement; and

(c) reasonable accommodation costs incurred when travel is for medical or dental treatment and circumstances prevent the employee or dependant from returning home on the same day.

6.3 Fares assistance may only be authorised:

(a) on presentation of a medical certificate/statement providing details of the patient, their condition and, where assistance is sought for treatment, the nature, necessity and urgency for that treatment; and

(b) for travel within Australia; and

(c) where there is not a community scheme providing such assistance.

6.4 The Secretary may, if he or she considers it reasonable in the special circumstances of the particular case, authorise the payment or partial payment of the cost of transport, or the fares, for the travel that would be payable under clause 6.2 of this Schedule.

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7. Reimbursement of fares of children at school away from employee’s location

7.1 This provision does not apply to an employee who receives reimbursement under clause 18.1.6 of this Agreement.

7.2 This clause applies if a child of an employee, who ordinarily lives with the employee, is receiving primary or secondary education at a school at a locality other than the employee’s DETYA remote locality; and as a result the child does not live with the employee; and the child travels from the locality where he or she is receiving education to:

(a) the employee’s DETYA remote locality; or

(b) to a locality other than the employee’s DETYA remote locality to visit the employee or the spouse of the employee.

7.3 The Secretary will authorise reimbursement to the employee of an amount equal to the cost of student travel concession return fares reasonably incurred by the employee for the travel; or an amount equal to the lesser of the cost of student travel concession return fares reasonably incurred by the employee for the travel; and the amount that would have been reimbursed if the child had travelled to the employee’s DETYA remote locality.

7.4 Reimbursement for fares will not be authorised more than once in any period of 6 months. In addition, the Secretary may approve reimbursement of an additional fare in special circumstances, eg where he or she is satisfied that severe detriment to the continued well being of the child will be done in the absence of an additional reunion visit.

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8. Transfer from DETYA Remote Locality Offices

8.1 Consistent with the principles of mobility established under clause 14.4.2 of this Agreement, an ongoing employee working in one of the Department’s remote locality offices, may apply to the Secretary for reassignment of duties away from the remote locality. In considering the application, the Secretary will take into account:

(a) whether the reassignment and relocation is in the interest of the Department;

(b) the period for which the employee has been stationed in a remote locality; and

(c) the personal circumstances of the employee.

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9. Establishment of new DETYA Remote Locality Work Places

9.1 If the Department establishes a work place in a locality other than those specified in Column 1 of the Table at 3.1.1 above and which the Secretary determines to be a remote locality, the Secretary will implement an agreed package of Remote Localities Assistance following discussions with affected employees and their representatives as to what level of assistance will apply. The intent of these discussions will be to apply the same approach to developing an appropriate package of remote localities as has been applied for the Department’s existing remote locality offices.

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