A student may be approved for Fares Allowance where:
Where the student is the person undertaking the journey, s/he is an approved traveller.
Person/s other than the student may be an approved traveller in the following circumstances:
The purpose of approval of Dependant Travellers is to cover travel for a dependant/s of a student who is approved for Fares Allowance. A dependant can be a partner and/or any dependent children of the student.
Fares Allowance may be approved for a student’s partner and/or any dependent children in the following circumstances:
- the student meets the qualifications for Fares Allowance; and
- the student is eligible for the type of specified travel being undertaken; and
- the partner and/or dependent children travel to live at the term address; and
- one or more of the following apply:
- the student is eligible for Parenting Payment (Single) under the Social Security Act 1991; or
- the student’s partner is eligible for Parenting Payment Partnered under the Social Security Act 1991; and/or
- the student or student's partner holds a Health Care Card, Low Income Health Care Card or a Pensioner Concession Card AND has a dependent child.
The types of specified travel available for a Dependant Traveller are:
88.3.1 Purpose of approval of family member travellers
The purpose of approval of Family Member Travellers is to allow a family member to travel to the student’s term address for the purposes of either orientation/special purpose visit travel or compassionate travel.
Fares Allowance may be approved for a parent, partner or close family member to visit a student at the term address in the following circumstances:
- the student meets the qualifications for Fares Allowance; and
- either of the following apply:
- the student would be eligible for Compassionate travel due to serious illness or injury; and
- the circumstances are such that a visit from a close family member would be appropriate; OR
Where the student is suffering from a terminal illness, both parents may be approved to travel to visit the student under Compassionate Travel.
The types of specified travel available for a family member traveller are:
Where Fares Allowance has been approved for a family member under compassionate travel or orientation or special purpose visit travel, the family member is entitled to one return journey between the family member’s home and the student’s term address.
The purpose of approval of supervisor travellers is to enable the supervision of secondary school students while in transit during an approved journey.
Fares Allowance may be approved for a supervisor to accompany a student on a journey in the following circumstances:
- the student meets the qualifications for Fares Allowance; and
- the student is eligible for the type of specified travel being undertaken; and
- the student’s circumstances, and the circumstances of the travel, mean that supervision would be appropriate; and
- the supervisor is a parent, community representative or representative of the receiving school or hostel.
Where more than one approved student is travelling, more than one supervisor may be required. The appropriate number of supervisors will depend on the circumstances of the travel; however, a ratio of one supervisor to six students would normally be used.
Where Fares Allowance has been approved for a supervisor to accompany a student on a type of specified travel, the supervisor is entitled to one return journey between the supervisor's home and the student's place of study or other location to which the student is travelling.
All types of specified travel are available under the provisions of supervisor travel.
The purpose of approval of a travelling companion is to allow an ill, injured or disabled student who is undertaking approved travel to be accompanied on the journey.
Fares Allowance may be approved for a travelling companion to accompany a student on a journey in the following circumstances:
All types of specified travel are available under the provisions of travelling companion travel.
Where Fares Allowance has been approved for a travelling companion to accompany a student on a type of specified travel, the travelling companion is entitled to one return journey between the travelling companion’s home and the student's place of study or other location to which the student is travelling.
The purpose of approval of education institution representative travellers is to allow representatives from an education institution or hostel to travel to a community to undertake an Away from Base activity or to participate in an orientation/special purpose visit, where it is more cost effective to do so.
Fares Allowance may be approved for representatives of an education institution or hostel to travel to a student’s home community in the following circumstances:
- the student meets the qualifications for Fares Allowance; and
- either of the following apply:
- the student is eligible for orientation/special purpose visit travel; and
- the proposed travellers have direct contact with ABSTUDY students at the boarding location; and
- there are at least six ABSTUDY students at the school/hostel who come from the communities to be visited and there is likely to be a continued boarding connection between the education institution and the community;
OR
- the student is eligible for Away from Base activities travel; and
- the applicant will be participating in either a Testing and Assessment programme or a residential school; and
- the education institution can demonstrate that it is cost-effective for its representatives to travel to a community or communities rather than for students or parents to travel to the education institution.
88.6.3 Entitlement
Where Fares Allowance has been approved for a representative from an education institution to travel to a student’s home community, the education institution representative is entitled to one return journey between the education institution and the student’s home community.
The number of education institution representatives receiving assistance would, in normal circumstances, be limited to two.