The purpose of Away from Base assistance is to assist eligible students to participate in the necessary academic components of an
approved course where that course requires students to travel away from their
permanent home or study location for a short period of time. Away from Base assistance covers the student’s travel costs to attend the activity and the reasonable costs of accommodation and meals while away from his/her normal place of residence.
Away from Base activities are necessary academic components of an approved course that require students to travel away from their home or study location for a short period of time. These activities include:
Where an education provider receives assistance under DEEWR's Indigenous Education Programme (IEP) Away from Base element to fund travel and accommodation costs of student participation in a course of study, then field trips, placements and residential schools in this course will not be approved for ABSTUDY Away from Base assistance. Students enrolled in these courses would need to apply to the education provider for this assistance.
DEEWR's Indigenous Education Programme (IEP) Away from Base element does not fund the costs of student participation in Testing and Assessment activities. Therefore, even where DEEWR's IEP Away from Base funds the cost of student participation in a particular course, ABSTUDY Away from Base assistance is available to attend a testing and assessment programme in order to gain entry to that course.
Where DEEWR's IEP Away from Base, funds the costs of student participation in a course, a student is still entitled to claim the ABSTUDY non-means-tested Living Allowance and ABSTUDY benefits other than those available under the provisions of Away from Base.
To qualify for Away from Base Assistance, the following criteria must be met:
- the applicant meets the criteria for the following ABSTUDY Awards:
- for field trips, the journey between the provider location and the field trip location satisfies the requirements of Chapter 26 Travel Time and Access; and
- for residential schools and testing and assessment programmes, either of the following apply:
- on-campus residence during the residential school or testing and assessment programme is compulsory; or
- the journey between the permanent home and the provider location satisfies the requirements of Chapter 26 Travel Time and Access; and
-
where the student is living at his/her permanent home, the journey between the permanent home and the placement location satisfies the requirements of
Chapter 26 Travel Time and Access; and
-
where the student is living at his/her term address, the journey between the term address and the placement location satisfies the requirements of
Chapter 26 Travel Time and Access; and
- the student’s academic ability to undertake the course to which the testing and assessment programme relates is unable to be gauged by his/her previous study; and/or
- it is essential that a student also undertake a structured interview or audition to ascertain the student’s general suitability to undertake the course; or
- it is essential that a student undertake a preliminary assessment before being admitted into an enabling course at a university, where that enabling course is an alternative entry to a mainstream higher education course; or
- it is essential that a participant undertake a structured interview with activities to ascertain their general suitability to the Indigenous Youth Mobility Programme (IYMP); and
- if the student is claiming Away from Base assistance under the Lawful Custody Award, the student has permission from the correctional provider to attend the Away from Base activity.
There are annual limits on the number of return trips and the number of days for which Away from Base assistance may be approved for each student. The limits apply to any combination of residential schools, field trips and/or placements during the period of enrolment in the course.
Where the course for which the student is seeking assistance is a full-time course, the limits on Away from Base assistance are based on the normal full-time course duration.
|
Normal full-time course duration |
Maximum number of return trips |
Maximum number of days for which residential costs may be paid |
|
24 weeks to 1 year |
6 |
40 |
|
17 to 23 weeks (i.e. 1 semester) |
4 |
30 |
|
12 to 16 weeks |
3 |
20 |
|
Less than 12 weeks |
2 |
10 (provided that this does not exceed 50% of the course length) |
The above limits are not affected by the student’s actual study load.
Where the course for which the student is seeking assistance is a part-time course, the limits on Away from Base assistance will be determined by a nominal duration for the course based on an equivalent full-time study-load of 20 contact hours (i.e. enrolled hours) per week.
If, as a result of transport schedules, a student is required to stay one or more nights at an in-transit location or stay additional night/s at the location of the Away from Base activity, these overnight stays are not to be included in the limits on Away from Base assistance specified in 92.4.1.
Where a student undertakes multiple testing and assessment programmes, s/he may receive Away from Base assistance for a maximum of two of these testing and assessment programmes in a calendar year.
The Away from Base assistance available to both full-time and part-time Masters or Doctorate students, including Fares Allowance paid under the Away from Base activities travel provisions, is not to exceed $2,080 in a calendar year.
Where an education provider receives assistance under DEEWR’s IEP Away from Base element to fund travel and accommodation costs of students participation in a Masters or Doctorate degree delivered by ‘mixed mode’ course work, the student is not eligible for assistance under ABSTUDY Away from Base.
Note: Students who received, and were eligible to receive, an amount under ABSTUDY Away from Base prior to this policy change coming into effect are entitled to retain the funding they received.