(1) Travel, including international travel, is integral to University business. This policy sets out the University of Western Sydney's principles regarding travel and details the procedures to be followed by employees, students and any other approved persons undertaking University-supported or Official Business Travel. (2) This policy applies to Official Business Travel fully or partially supported by the University for University-related business or study regardless of funding source. This policy must be read in conjunction with the University's other policies including Delegations (Administrative) Policy, Professional Development Policy, Conference Policy, Academic Development Program (ADP) Policy, Conflict of Interest Policy, Work Health and Safety Policy, Disability Policy, Procurement Policy and Corporate Credit Card Policy. (3) The University's Travel Portal is the online mechanism for approving and booking travel and accessing the University's Travel Agent's services. (4) This policy does not form part of any contract. From time to time, the University may review and update this policy - for example, to reflect changes to technology or our organisation. (5) For the purposes of this policy: (6) The University aims to protect the health and safety at work of employees and students involved in learning experiences. Accordingly, the University's policy and procedures relating to Official Business Travel give primary consideration to the safety of and endeavours to mitigate risk for University Travellers. (7) The principles that the University applies to travel involve expediency, value for money and equity. In this context, travel should be planned and undertaken to keep costs and unavoidable delays to a minimum. The University manages FBT arising from travel by limiting the number of Private Days associated with business travel which will be supported by the University before co-payment by travellers is required. (8) In all financial transactions including those related to travel, the University seeks financial prudency, transparency and accountability. To obtain the best deals for travel the University will appoint an Agent or Agents to provide travel and booking services. (9) University Travellers accept the conditions of this policy when applying for and undertaking Official Business Travel. Travel is approved in accordance with the Delegations (Administrative) Policy. (10) University travellers travelling in accordance with this policy are considered to be on duty (except when on Private Days) and must abide by all University policies and procedures, and requirements of the relevant employee and student agreements. (11) Employees who breach this policy may be subject to the disciplinary provisions of the Academic and General Staff Agreements. Students who breach this policy may be subject to the provisions of the Misconduct - Student Non-Academic Misconduct Policy. (12) The University recognises that it may be necessary for University Travellers to travel to destinations that pose certain risks. The risks are dependent on the individual circumstances of the traveller and the conditions present at the travel location. (13) Risks are to be managed in accordance with the University's work health and safety obligations and must take into consideration any travel advice issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). University Travellers will adhere to and monitor DFAT travel advisories when organising and travelling internationally. Please refer to the Smart Traveller's web page for more information. (14) University Travellers are responsible for their own health and safety and must ensure that they do not do anything that creates or increases the risk to their health and safety. In the event of a significant incident (such as, but not limited to, civil unrest or natural disaster) while travelling, the University Traveller must follow any advice issued by the University, the University's travel risk management service or the relevant authorities. (15) Approval for travel to destinations where the DFAT travel advisory classification is "reconsider your need to travel" must be accompanied by a risk assessment addressing the following factors: (16) Where, after travel has been booked, the DFAT travel advisory classification escalates to "reconsider your need to travel" the relevant Dean or Deputy Vice-Chancellor must re-approve travel (including a risk assessment) before the traveller departs. (17) The University will not approve travel where the DFAT travel advisory classification is "do not travel". Where the DFAT travel advisory classification escalates to "do not travel" the travel approval will be withdrawn. (18) If after travel has commenced the DFAT travel advisory classification escalates, the relevant unit head should arrange to make contact with the traveller and assist in their return if warranted, and notify the Travel Office for assistance. (19) University Travellers approved to travel to destinations where a DFAT travel advisory classification of "reconsider your need to travel" has been issued, must register with Smartraveller (DFAT) prior to departure. Irrespective of travel warnings, all other University Travellers are also encouraged to register their international travel plans with DFAT prior to departure. (20) Where a traveller is aware of a medical condition that may be aggravated by or difficult to manage or treat during travel, they must indicate this as part of the travel approval process and must develop a Medical Risk Assessment/Management Plan in conjunction with the Equity and Diversity Unit and Work Health and Safety Unit employees. (21) The University has engaged a travel risk management provider to assist travellers to assess, manage and monitor risk during international travel. The service provides destination information and a 24hr assistance service. Details are on the University's Travel Portal. (22) The University recognises that in certain circumstances involving long distance travel, an employee may be affected by fatigue. To determine if this should have an impact on the University Traveller's itinerary, a risk assessment should be undertaken considering issues such as mode of travel, class of travel, length of continuous travel undertaken without the ability to rest and breaks between completing travel and undertaking work activities. Where it is determined that the itinerary should be adjusted, it is to be clearly identified in the e-TAN and supporting notations or documentation attached. Any employee who has concerns about this issue should discuss it with their supervisor or HR Business Partner. (23) The University appointed Travel Agent provides the University's travel management services. The University regularly audits the services to ensure the Agent meets it contracted obligations, such as Best Fare or Rate on the day. University Travellers who consider they are not receiving bookings with the Best Fare or Rate deals should alert the University Travel Office who may review the fares. (24) University Travellers, bookers, Designated Travel Administrators (DTA) and relevant line supervisors must ensure that the University appointed Agent is used to make travel bookings except when in receipt of a Travel Grant or on ADP (Refer to Part E). (25) The University Travel Agent offers a booking service from 8:00am to 6:00pm (5:00pm for ticketing deadlines), and provides after hours emergency services. Before departure, University Travellers should make note of the emergency contact details for travel insurance which are printed on the traveller's itinerary. (26) Travel involving a single day, e.g. within Sydney and surrounds, that does not need airfare or accommodation bookings but does require employees and/or students to work or undertake study away from their normal location does not require University Travellers to complete an e-TAN (unless convenient to do so as a record of associated cost reimbursement). University Travellers must complete the necessary administrative actions and have prior approval to undertake the travel from their supervisor or delegated officer. Depending on the nature of the business or travel required, University Travellers may need approval from their supervisor to: (27) Costs associated with approved business travel, including road tolls and car parking expenses, can either be paid by corporate credit card (where possible) or reimbursed to the University Traveller by submitting a completed Travel Claim Form. (28) For travel that includes more than one consecutive day and/or airfares or accommodation, applications must be lodged via the University's Travel Portal using appropriate online booking tools. Where possible e-TANs should be lodged at least 21 calendar days for international travel or 14 Business Days for domestic travel before the planned departure to allow for processing travel advances (if approved) before departure. Early lodgement also assists in maximising discounts. (29) Any conflict of interest relating to the Official Business Travel should be declared when lodging an e-TAN. Refer to the Code of Conduct and the Conflict of Interest Policy. (30) All fields of the e-TAN must be completed with adequate additional information attached to satisfy the approver of the relevance and benefits of the travel. Details of the business related activities that are proposed are to be completed in the Detailed Travel Schedule. A copy of the itinerary or airline ticket must be attached for any travel not arranged through the University Agent. (31) Official Business Travel by University Travellers supported by the University is approved via the University's Travel Portal in accordance with Delegations (Administrative) Policy and this policy. Once approved, the e-TAN is automatically forwarded to the University's Travel Office and the appointed travel provider for bookings and electronically returned to the traveller. (32) University Travellers except when in receipt of a Travel Grant or undertaking ADP (refer Part E) are to use the booking request and e-TANs to make travel arrangements via the Agent. Full details of how to obtain quotes and make bookings are provided in the University's Travel Portal. (33) Students who have received support (regardless of funding source) from the University to travel must also complete an e-TAN and include details as outlined in this part. Students should seek advice from the relevant School Designated Travel Administrators or equivalents, about the submission and booking process. (34) If a University Traveller's itinerary changes then they must seek re-approval from the relevant line supervisor. (35) University Travellers attending a conference or similar activity that is fully or partially funded by the University, must follow the approval process for Official Business Travel. (36) No booking or commitment to the conference or travel is to be made until approval is obtained from the relevant delegated officer. Once approved, University Travellers may register for the conference and pay the conference fee: (37) Conference accommodation that forms part of the conference registration package may be booked directly at the time of registration. University Travellers may wish to check these rates against University discounted rates through the University's Travel Provider and use the University Agent to make the accommodation booking. (38) All airfares for Official Business Travel, except when in receipt of a Travel Grant or on ADP (refer Part E), must be booked via the appointed Agent using a booking request and e-TAN to initiate the process. (39) All Official Business Travel should be by economy class, not premium, business or first class or equivalents and should be by the most direct route and not contain overnight stopovers, except where: (40) The University has negotiated Preferred Airline arrangements as part of a National University Agreement, which gives the University access to special discounted airfares on selected carriers. The Preferred Airline arrangement does not restrict employees to these carriers, and University Travellers will receive both a Preferred Airline rate and any other lower competitive fare available on a safe and reliable airline. (41) The airline carrier selected is to be based on the Best Fare available that meets the University Traveller's business itinerary. Where a Preferred Airline is the lowest price carrier, University Travellers must use this service. Where the Preferred Airline fare is not the Best Fare, University Travellers may choose an alternative carrier where that carrier's fare is the most cost effective available*. Where there is only a minor cost differential between a Preferred Airline and an alternative airline, then University Travellers are encouraged to travel with the Preferred Airline. (42) University Travellers, except when using a Travel Grant or on ADP (refer Part E), must use the University Agent to book all travel needs via the University Travel Portal. This includes non-conference accommodation and ground transportation such as car hire (except where other University discounts or concessions or preferred suppliers are available through negotiation by the University Travel Office). These alternate negotiated discounts will be available through the University Travel Portal. (43) There may be a case where University Travellers are staying at remote locations or where no bookable accommodation is available (for example for field site visits). University Travellers may make their own accommodation arrangements and seek either a travel advance or reimbursement of expenses. University Travellers should always enquire with the University appointed Travel Agent to determine if accommodation options exist. (44) The University Agent will require corporate credit card details to guarantee accommodation or other travel bookings. Alternatively, for domestic bookings requests can be made to charge the cost back to the University which will incur a fee. Bookings should be confirmed by quoting the relevant e-TAN. (45) Only University Travellers that are staying overnight away from their home on Official Business Travel are entitled to travel expenses relating to accommodation, meals and incidentals. University Travellers should use their corporate credit card, where issued, to pay for such expenses which could not be paid for before departure. University Travellers may claim actual costs whilst on international Official Business Travel within approved budgets. Please refer to Part F of this policy. (46) University employees and students can request a travel advance based on estimated costs where pre-payments or the use of a corporate credit card is not possible. Travel advances are limited to $1,000 for international travel and $500 for domestic travel unless specifically approved by the Vice-President, Finance and Resources (VP(F&R)). Frequent travellers should have a corporate credit card (refer to the Corporate Credit Card Policy). Travel advances will be paid to the traveller's bank account and must be acquitted in accordance with Part F. The Finance Office must receive 14 calendar days notice so the payment can be made before departure. (47) Employees travelling to international destinations (except New Zealand) may request a Travel Grant to cover the cost of Official Business Travel. Travel Grants are made available at the discretion of the Dean/Director, Research Institute/University Executive Member by the approval of an e-TAN indicating that a Travel Grant is being sought. A Travel Grant is not available where Official Business Travel includes Non-Incidental Private Days which may trigger an FBT liability for the University. (48) Employees receiving a Travel Grant will receive an untaxed payment through the payroll system prior to travel. The amount of the Grant is determined using the Travel Grant calculator available on the University Travel Portal and covers all business related costs for the trip including airfares, local transportation, accommodation, meals and incidentals. Those in receipt of a Travel Grant are covered by University travel insurance for the business portion of their trip and have access to the University contracted Risk Management service. (49) Employees in receipt of a Travel Grant or undertaking ADP are not required to but may use the University Agent for travel and accommodation arrangements and are not entitled to claim any additional funding from the University. If the University Agent is used to make bookings, these must be paid for directly by a personal credit card in order for the University not to incur any additional costs. (50) Any shortfall in funding is to be addressed by claiming work related expenses through personal income tax. For multiple destinations, the most cost effective option on the Travel Grant calculator should be selected. A University corporate credit card is not to be used for payments when in receipt of a Travel Grant or undertaking ADP. (51) University Travellers except those in receipt of a Travel Grant or who are undertaking an ADP are entitled to claim for actual expenses such as meals and incidentals, and accommodation which could not be paid for before departure. Where issued, a University corporate credit card should be used to pay for such expenses. (52) The University will pay or reimburse the following actual expenditure incurred on Official Business Travel: (53) Any claims in addition to the expenditure outlined above will require Deputy Vice-Chancellor or VP(F&R) approval. All of the above costs are deemed to be included in a University Travel Grant or ADP payment. (54) University Travellers cannot claim cost reimbursement for items of a personal or private nature. The University will not reimburse the following private expenses: (55) Where UniversityTravellers seek reimbursement they must produce original receipts, and should attempt to obtain receipts for incidentals (where this is not possible, a diary record should be maintained - see Part F). (56) Where University Travellers intend to stay with friends or relatives this should be declared upon submission of approval request. In such circumstances, reimbursement of accommodation expenses cannot be claimed. Refer to the Conflict of Interest Policy. (57) All University Travellers who are claiming actual expenses must acquit their travel no later than ten working days upon return. (58) A Travel Diary is to be maintained for domestic trips which are more than five consecutive nights and for all international trips. This must be in the format as prescribed by the University Travel Diary (T4) form. Pro forma diaries (Form T4) can be accessed from the University Travel Portal. A Travel Diary must be completed and lodged within 5 business days of return, as follows: (59) Where a traveller fails to submit a Travel Diary within the stipulated timeframe, the entire trip will be deemed private in line with current FBT legislation. In such cases the traveller will be required to reimburse the University for the entire cost of the trip. (60) Where University travellers do not complete a Travel Diary or acquit their travel expenses, they will not receive any further travel advances and supervisors must not approve any further travel, until such time as the outstanding documentation has been completed, approved and verified by the Finance Office. (61) The University maintains travel insurance coverage for University Travellers on approved international Official Business Travel. The policy excludes certain countries from automatic coverage and University Travellers must contact the University's Accountant, Tax and Insurance if travel is planned to any of these destinations. Further details are available on the University's Overseas Travel Insurance website. (62) In the case of Dual Purpose Travel, University Travellers must meet any travel insurance costs for all Private Days. (63) Students travelling internationally for study exchange are covered for the duration of their official semester period. The travel cover includes one week immediately before and after official semester start and ends dates and a maximum of one week for any official semester breaks. A student is responsible for making their own travel insurance arrangements for any travel periods falling outside the periods stated above. (64) The University is self-insured for forfeited travel costs and loss to University owned property for all domestic trips. In the case of domestic travel insurance claims, the University is reliant on recovery of credits and cancellation fees from the travel service providers where possible. Where no recoveries are possible the travellers Business Unit will bear any residual cost. (65) For any medical issues arising during domestic trips, the University is reliant on Workers Compensation and Medicare benefits where possible. (66) Where travel involves a group or an event that includes employees, students and other approved travellers is planned, and the bookings co-ordinated via the University and/or payment made via the University, then such travel must follow this policy. The University appointed Travel Agent via the Travel Portal must be used by way of an e-TAN created in the University group/event coordinator's name to arrange and manage booking requirements that include but are not limited to airfares, accommodation, transportation, venue negotiations with options for full online event management tools. Refer to the University's Staff Conferences and Planning Days Policy. (67) Schools/Units are encouraged to notify the University Travel Office at the beginning of each semester of with any forecasted group/event activities to maximise negotiated rates. Schools/Units are not to directly contact event venues without first consulting the University Agent. The Western Sydney International office should be advised of any group travel involving international students. Group/event organisers are also encouraged to contact the University Travel Office when in the preliminary planning stages of the activity. (68) Contact should be made with the University Agent via the University Travel Portal no less than three months before the intended travel/event or earlier where the travel is planned over Christmas/New Year period. Group travel is complex and will require negotiation of bookings and/or changes to itinerary to meet travel budgets. Any group travel request must include sufficient details to ensure best value including dates, numbers, travel budget and so on. When bookings can be confirmed they must include a list of all attendees showing full name, title (e.g. Mr/Ms/Miss/Prof) and Student/Staff ID numbers. Such bookings can be made on one e-TAN as long as all details are provided. (69) University Travellers must indicate on the e-TAN any Private Days they are taking in conjunction with Official Business Travel. Employee leave in conjunction with Official Business Travel must also be applied for via Staff Online. (70) University Travellers are responsible for meeting all costs relating to the private portion of any trip. (71) Private Days taken during the course of travel are categorised as Incidental Private Days or Non-Incidental Private Days. As set out in the definitions section of this Policy, Private Days are deemed Incidental Private Days when they are less than or equal to 50% of the total trip duration. The University will only fully support costs that are deemed incidental to University business. Accordingly, where a trip includes Non-Incidental Private Days the University will recover costs from travelling employees proportionate to the percentage of Non-Incidental Private Days on the trip. (72) When the private portion of a trip exceeds the incidental limit indicated above, the University Traveller must reimburse the University the proportionate private percentage of the total airfare (including service fee) prior to ticketing. (73) In approving Private days in conjunction with Official Business Travel, delegates should consider: (74) Where private days are approved, University Travellers must provide their own travel insurance for that portion of the trip. (75) Where University Travellers are accompanied on the same itinerary by another person this must be indicated on their e-TAN. No costs associated with the accompanying person will be met by the University, and this may require an upfront payment by the University Traveller direct to the University Travel Agent at the time of finalising the booking. If the travel is partly funded, the University will only pay up to the amount of funding. (76) University Travellers with entitlements other than economy class cannot convert these higher class airfares to economy class and offset the cost of downgrading against a second economy ticket. (77) The University's travel insurance does not cover accompanying persons. Appropriate personal travel insurance must be arranged privately for the accompanying person. (78) Where frequent flyer/award points are earned by University Travellers as a result of Official Business Travel, the points earned should be used by the University Traveller for subsequent University travel. (79) Frequent University Travellers should not jeopardise the most cost effective outcome in order to gain frequent flyer points. (80) The University has Corporate Membership of the Preferred Airline Clubs. Frequent flyers can apply to their Dean/Director, Research Institute/ University Executive Member for approval to have their name added to the University Corporate Membership. Whilst the University has not established a strict definition of 'frequent flyer' the normal test would be that the employee undertakes Official Business Travel at least ten times per year. Corporate Membership involves both a joining fee (unless transferring from another scheme) and an annual subscription and these are charged to the cost centre/project account nominated by the Dean/Director, Research Institute/ University Executive Member as part of the approval process. Further information is published on the University Travel Portal. (81) Similar arrangements may apply for accommodation and other travel service providers. (82) Further information is published on the University Travel Portal. (83) As part of the arrangements with the University Agent, University Travellers may use the Agent to organise and book their own personal travel not connected to any Official Business Travel. (84) The University Traveller's Business Unit is responsible for retaining all travel records including Travel Diaries. (85) Nil.Travel Policy
Section 1 - Purpose and Context
Section 2 - Definitions
Top of Page
Section 3 - Policy Statement
Section 4 - Procedures
Part A - Travel Risk Management and Safety
Part B - University Appointed Travel Agent
Part C - Application and Approval
Travel Not Requiring Airfare or Accommodation
Travel Requiring Airfare or Accommodation
Conferences
Part D - Bookings
Air Travel
Accommodation, Ground Transport and Other Travel
Part E - Travel Expenses and Advances
Travel Grants and Academic Development Program (ADP) Travel
Actual Expenses
Part F - Travel Acquittals
Part G - Travel Diaries
Part H - Travel Insurance
Part I - University managed Group Tours, Conferences and Events
Part J - Dual Purpose Travel
Part K - University Traveller Accompanied by Another Person
Part L - Frequent Flyer Points
Part M - Airline Club Membership
Part N - Other Services Offered via the University Appointed Travel Agent
Part O - Administration
Section 5 - Guidelines
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* In comparing fares, consideration should be given to same date/time and cancellation or alteration conditions and fees and sundry charges.