{"id":"F2018L01501","name":"Parliamentary Retirement Travel Regulations 2018","slug":"parliamentary-retirement-travel-regulations-2018","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":439817,"registerId":"F2018L01501-fast-fetch-1775955693507","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-12","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Parliamentary Retirement Travel Regulations 2018","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\n---\n\n?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" standalone=\"no\"?>\n\n![Commonwealth Coat of Arms of Australia](image.001.jpeg)\n\n \n\nParliamentary Retirement Travel Regulations 2018\n\nI, General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Ret’d), Governor‑General of the Commonwealth of Australia, acting with the advice of the Federal Executive Council, make the following regulations.\n\nDated 25 October 2018\n\nPeter Cosgrove\n\nGovernor‑General\n\nBy His Excellency’s Command\n\nAlex Hawke\n\nSpecial Minister of State\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nContents\n\nPart 1—Preliminary\n\n1 Name\n\n2 Commencement\n\n3 Authority\n\n4 Schedules\n\n5 Definitions\n\nPart 2—Stop‑overs\n\n6 Exceptional circumstances\n\n7 Evidence of exceptional circumstances\n\nSchedule 1—Repeals\n\nMembers of Parliament (Life Gold Pass) Regulations 2002\n\n \n\nPart 1—Preliminary\n\n \n\n1  Name\n\n  This instrument is the Parliamentary Retirement Travel Regulations 2018.\n\n2  Commencement\n\n (1) Each provision of this instrument specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.\n\n \n\n- Commencement information\n- Column 1 Column 2 Column 3\n- Provisions Commencement Date/Details\n- 1. The whole of this instrument The day after this instrument is registered. 31 October 2018\n\n\nNote: This table relates only to the provisions of this instrument as originally made. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this instrument.\n\n (2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this instrument. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this instrument.\n\n3  Authority\n\n  This instrument is made under the Parliamentary Retirement Travel Act 2002.\n\n4  Schedules\n\n  Each instrument that is specified in a Schedule to this instrument is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this instrument has effect according to its terms.\n\n5  Definitions\n\n  In this instrument:\n\nAct means the Parliamentary Retirement Travel Act 2002.\n\neligible traveller means a person who undertakes a domestic return trip to which section 21 or 22 of the Act applies.\n\nPart 2—Stop‑overs\n\n \n\n6  Exceptional circumstances\n\n  For the purposes of subparagraphs 21(c)(ii) and 22(d)(ii) of the Act, each of the following are exceptional circumstances:\n\n (a) the eligible traveller has an injury or illness that prevents the eligible traveller from travelling within 24 hours after the beginning of the stop‑over;\n\n (b) if the eligible traveller is a former Prime Minister accompanied by the former Prime Minister’s spouse or de facto partner—the spouse or de facto partner has an injury or illness that prevents the spouse or de facto partner from travelling within 24 hours after the beginning of the stop‑over;\n\n (c) if the eligible traveller is the spouse or de facto partner of a former Prime Minister accompanying the former Prime Minister—the former Prime Minister has an injury or illness that prevents the former Prime Minister from travelling within 24 hours after the beginning of the stop‑over;\n\n (d) the delay or cancellation of a scheduled transport service prevents the eligible traveller from travelling within 24 hours after the beginning of the stop‑over.\n\n7  Evidence of exceptional circumstances\n\n  A claim that circumstances surrounding a stop‑over are exceptional circumstances (within the meaning of section 6) must be accompanied by:\n\n (a) for an injury or illness—a medical certificate stating that the injury or illness prevented the person with the injury or illness from travelling within 24 hours after the beginning of the stop‑over; or\n\n (b) for a delay or cancellation—a statutory declaration by the eligible traveller that declares that the delay or cancellation prevented the eligible traveller from travelling within 24 hours after the beginning of the stop‑over.\n\nSchedule 1—Repeals\n\n \n\nMembers of Parliament (Life Gold Pass) Regulations 2002\n\n1  The whole of the instrument\n\nRepeal the instrument.\n\n \n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"This instrument replaces prior regulations by repealing the Members of Parliament (Life Gold Pass) Regulations 2002 (Schedule 1) and narrows/clarifies regulatory detail by defining \"exceptional circumstances\" and setting specific evidence requirements for stop‑overs under sections 21 and 22 of the Parliamentary Retirement Travel Act 2002 (ss 6–7). It alters the operational rules and documentary obligations for eligible travellers without amending the Act itself."},"complexity_factors":["Narrow subject‑matter: only stop‑overs and evidence for retirement travel (Parts 1–2; ss 5–7).","Direct cross‑references to the Parliamentary Retirement Travel Act 2002 (subparagraphs 21(c)(ii) and 22(d)(ii)), requiring readers to consult the Act to see full effect.","Simple, prescriptive definitions (injury/illness, transport delay) reduce discretion (s 6).","Specific evidentiary rules impose administrative/compliance burdens (medical certificate or statutory declaration) (s 7).","Special treatment for former Prime Ministers and their spouses/de facto partners introduces conditional drafting (s 6(b)-(c)).","Repeal of an earlier instrument (Schedule 1) changes regulatory landscape and requires review of transitional implications."],"plain_english_summary":"This instrument sets rules for \"stop‑overs\" under the Parliamentary Retirement Travel scheme: it defines what counts as an \"exceptional circumstance\" (injury or illness preventing travel within 24 hours, or delay/cancellation of scheduled transport) and requires supporting evidence (medical certificate or statutory declaration). It applies to eligible travellers under sections 21 and 22 of the Act and repeals the Members of Parliament (Life Gold Pass) Regulations 2002. It matters because it limits when extra stop‑over allowances apply and creates a clear documentary burden on claimants."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The legislation maintains its original narrow scope. It was clearly intended to provide specific operational details for stop-over provisions in the parent Act, and it does exactly that without expanding into broader policy areas. The repeal of the 2002 regulations is a housekeeping measure that aligns with the original purpose of updating the retirement travel framework."},"complexity_factors":["Only 7 operative sections plus a repeal schedule","Minimal defined terms (only 2: 'Act' and 'eligible traveller')","Simple conditional structure: lists 4 specific circumstances in section 6, with straightforward evidence requirements in section 7","No nested exceptions or complex cross-referencing beyond basic references to the parent Act (sections 21 and 22)","Straightforward repeal of a single previous instrument","Total length is extremely short (approximately 2 pages of substantive content)"],"plain_english_summary":"This regulation narrows when retired Australian parliamentarians (and certain spouses/partners) can claim stop-over travel costs, defining “exceptional circumstances” to cover medical emergencies and transport delays, and requiring a medical certificate or statutory declaration as proof. It also repeals the old Life Gold Pass rules.\n\nIt affects former MPs, Senators, former Prime Ministers and their partners, and claim administrators — tightening evidence rules to curb misuse of taxpayer-funded post-parliamentary travel."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/parliamentary-retirement-travel-regulations-2018","history":"/api/acts/parliamentary-retirement-travel-regulations-2018/history","analysis":"/api/acts/parliamentary-retirement-travel-regulations-2018/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/parliamentary-retirement-travel-regulations-2018/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/parliamentary-retirement-travel-regulations-2018/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/parliamentary-retirement-travel-regulations-2018/documents"}}