CEI 3.4 Official Travel

1. Scope of these instructions

These Chief Executive’s Instructions (CEI) outline the requirements for officials who are undertaking domestic or overseas travel on behalf of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
(the department).

The 'All about official travel' document outlines the requirements in more detail and provides practical guidance on the department’s travel policies.

2. Policy principles

• there must be a demonstrated business need to travel
• travel should only be undertaken when other options, such as teleconferencing and videoconferencing, are unsuitable
• official travel must represent efficient, effective, ethical and economical use of time and money
• travel must be primarily for official business; any private travel component must be paid for by the traveller
• all travel must be acquitted and documentation must be retained for audit purposes.

3. Target audience

This CEI are applicable to all officials and non-departmental personnel (as defined in the ‘Definitions’ section) who undertake travel on behalf of the department, including combined business/private travel and sponsored travel.

4. Departmental instructions

4.1 Responsibilities

For all travel, officials must:

• comply with this CEI and the travel procedures outlined in the ‘All about official travel’ document
• ensure that their immediate supervisor is aware of and has provided in-principle approval for the travel (either orally or in writing)
• ensure they have FMA Reg 9 and FMA section 44 delegations with transaction limits sufficient to cover the cost of the proposed travel. Officers who do not have FMA Reg 9 and FMA section 44 delegations, or whose transaction limits are not sufficient to cover the cost of the proposed travel, should seek FMA Reg 9 and FMA section 44 approval from a supervisor who has the required level of delegation
• make all travel arrangements through the department’s travel servises provider, other than in emergency or exceptional circumstances
• ensure all flights are selected on an impartial consideration of the fares available and in accordance with Government policy and not on personal preference for a particular airline
• acquit travel in accordance with the procedures outlined in the document ‘All about official travel’.

For domestic travel, officials must:

• use the department’s Online Booking Tool (OBT) to book all travel and accommodation, other than in an emergency or exceptional circumstances
• base air travel on the lowest practical fare (LPF) in economy class unless there is a business case or an entitlement to travel business class. If the LPF is not selected, the reason must be documented for audit purposes
• only use flexible fares when there is a business requirement for flexibility.

For overseas travel, officials must:

• travel on an Australian Government Official or Diplomatic Passport at all times, unless there is advice from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) that this would be inappropriate
• not use official passports for personal use, other than for combined business/private travel
• select the Best Fare of the Day (IBF) for international flights. If the IBF is not selected, the reason must be documented for audit purposes
• carefully consider the travel advice provided on the DFAT smartraveller.gov.au website and continue to monitor the advice in the period leading up to and during their travel
• when undertaking official travel to destinations where DFAT’s travel advice is ‘do not travel' or ‘reconsider your need to travel’, document the reasons why the travel is essential
• submit all relevant documentation to the Overseas Travel team at least 5 working days before the departure date to ensure timely payment of allowances; this timeframe will increase if passports and/or visas need to be obtained
• consider the need for medication and vaccinations, depending on the destination.

For combined business/private travel and sponsored travel, officials must:

• ensure that their immediate supervisor is aware of and has provided in-principle approval for the travel (either orally or in writing) and has provided prior approval for any associated leave.

Officials travelling during long term postings must:

• comply with travel guidelines provided in their pre-post briefing from Trade and Market Access Division.

Travel by non departmental personnel:

• must be approved by the line area of the department that is supervising the person travelling.
  The approving officer must:
• • have approriate FMA regulation 9 and FMA section 44 delegations
  • ensure that a contract or agreement is in place that outlines the need for travel, details of work to be carried out, level of travelling allowance, standard of accommodation, class of travel and travel insurance arrangements
  • ensure that the travel arrangements comply with the contract or agreement or, where not specified, are the same entitlements that apply to travel by departmental employees of equivalent seniority;
  • ensure that travel documentation is retained for audit purposes.

Audit and assurance activities:

• will be conducted on a random basis to ensure officers are undertaking travel and retaining appropriate documentation in accordance with this CEI.

5. Breaches

Officials are bound by section 13 of the Public Service Act 1999 (the PS Act Code of Conduct), section 44 of the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 (FMA Act) and Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines to use Commonwealth resources in an efficient, effective, ethical and economical manner. Officials who do not comply with this CEI may be found to be in breach and sanctions may apply.

6. References

6.1 Legislation

• Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997
• Financial Management and Accountability Regulations (as amended)
• Public Service Act 1999 Code of Conduct (s13)
• Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988

6.2 Internal guidance/instruction

• All about official travel
• Domestic travel checklist
• Overseas travel checklist
• Travel Allowance Ready Reckoner (for domestic travel)
• Travel home page on MyLink
• DAFF Collective Agreement
• Other relevant departmental enterprise agreements
• DAFF Procurement Guidelines

6.3 External guidance/instruction

• Finance Circular 2011/05 – Chief Executive's Instructions
• Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines
• Department of Finance and Deregulation Finance Circular 2009/10 – Use of the Lowest Practical Fare for Official Domestic Air Travel
• Department of Finance and Deregulation Finance Circular 2009/11 – Best Fair of the Day for International Official Travel

6.4 Related CEIs

• CEI 1.2 – Fraud control
• CEI 1.3 – Gifts
• CEI 1.4 – Official hospitality
• CEI 1.6 – Recordkeeping
• CEI 3.1 – Procurement
• CEI 3.2 – Payment of accounts
• CEI 3.6 – Vehicles
• CEI 3.5 – Credit cards
• CEI 3.6 – Vehicles
• CEI 3.6 – Vehicles
• CEI 3.5 – Credit cards
• CEI 3.6 – Vehicles

7. Definitions

Change History

Minor Amendments History