The following types of course activities may be approved under the provisions of Away from Base assistance:
Approval for Away from Base assistance for a course activity may be given where:
- for placements, field trips and residential schools, the costs of student participation in the Away from Base course activity are not approved for assistance under DEEWR's Indigenous Education Programmes (IEPs); and
- all participants in the activity incur the same or comparable costs, and any non-Indigenous students would be expected to cover their own costs; and
- any previous advances to the provider for Away from Base activities have been satisfactorily acquitted; and
- the specific approval requirements for the type of activity being undertaken have been met:
- the activity is being conducted within Australia.
Where an activity has been approved for Away from Base assistance, payment of Away from Base allowances may only be made in respect of students who are qualified for Away from Base assistance for the duration of the activity.
A testing and assessment programme is an activity conducted by a tertiary education provider to interview, test, assess or otherwise determine the academic suitability of a person for a particular tertiary course or range of courses, or in certain circumstances, an enabling course.
A testing and assessment programme may be approved for Away from Base assistance where the following criteria are met:
- a tertiary course; or
- an enabling course at a university, where the enabling course is an alternative entry to a mainstream higher education course and where it is essential that a student undertake a preliminary assessment before being admitted into this enabling course; and
- the length of the programme does not exceed five days, unless approval to do so has been granted by DEEWR;
- the education provider is not repeating a testing and assessment activity for a particular course intake because they were unsuccessful in obtaining sufficient student numbers from the original testing and assessment activity.
If a proposed testing and assessment activity is longer than five days, the education provider must seek approval in writing from DEEWR National Office at least eight weeks before the proposed commencement date.
The address is:
Group Manager
Strategic Analysis and Evaluation Group
DEEWR
GPO Box 9880
Canberra 2601
Loc: 113
DEEWR will only approve an extension to the normal limit of 5 days for a testing and assessment activity where the education provider can demonstrate that, due to the rigour of the proposed testing and assessment activity, an adequate appraisal of the student/s’ academic ability to undertake the course to which the testing and assessment activity relates is unable to be completed within 5 days.
A placement is a tertiary course activity that involves an individual student completing practical training in a work environment as part of her/his course. Generally, it is expected that placements will be obtained within the local community where the student is residing whilst studying and will therefore not require ABSTUDY assistance. However, in exceptional circumstances alternative arrangements may be approved.
A placement may be approved for Away from Base assistance where the following criteria are met:
- the general approval requirements for an Away from Base activity have been met; and
- the placement is an integral part of the course, i.e. it is an assessable component of the course curriculum; and
- the placement needs to be taken at the proposed location, i.e. the activities or learning experiences available at the proposed placement location are not available at the normal study location or a closer location; and
- the placement is at a location within the student’s home state/territory, unless the provisions of 94.4.2.1 apply.
A student may only be approved to participate in a placement at an interstate location where it:
- involves travel between NSW and the ACT or by students attending an education provider near a state/territory border; or
- provides experience or training essential for successful completion of the minimum requirements of the student's course which is not available within the State or Territory.
A field trip is a tertiary course activity that involves a group of students or, a single student, travelling from the normal place of study to one or more locations that provide practical activities or experiences.
A field trip may be approved for Away from Base assistance where the following criteria are met:
- the general approval requirements for an Away from Base activity have been met; and
- the course is a tertiary level, including Masters/Doctorate level, course;
- the field trip is an integral part of the course, i.e. it is an assessable component of the course curriculum; and
- the field trip needs to be taken at the proposed location, i.e. the activities or learning experiences available at the proposed field trip location are not available at the normal study location or a closer location; and
- the Away from base assistance being claimed for the field trip does not exceed seven days; and
- the field trip is at a location within the student’s home state/territory, unless the provisions of 94.5.1.1 apply.
Students may only be approved to participate in a field trip at an interstate location where it:
- involves travel between NSW and the ACT or by students attending an education provider near a State/Territory border; or
- provides experience or training essential for successful completion of the student's course that is not available within the State or Territory.
Residential schools are secondary and tertiary course activities that provide a group of external students studying through distance education the opportunity to attend face-to-face lectures and tutorials on campus and to access all campus facilities. For ABSTUDY purposes, Away from Base assistance is only provided where the Residential School is a compulsory and assessable component of the course. Residential Schools usually involve a period of one or two weeks duration.
A residential school may be approved for Away from Base assistance where the following criteria are met:
- the general approval requirements for an Away from Base activity have been met; and
- the residential school is an integral part of the course, i.e. it is an assessable component of the course curriculum; and
- the length of the residential school is justified; and
- the residential school is either:
- conducted at the education provider’s location; or
- at another location within the same state/territory as the education provider only in circumstances where it can be demonstrated that the face-to-face tuition components of the residential school are unable to be conducted at the education provider’s normal location or a closer location.