PART 4 – ALLOWANCES AND EXPENSES OF FORMER MEMBERS

Post‑retirement travel expenses

4.1 For section 15(1) of the PBR Act, the expenses in clause 4.2 or 4.2A, whichever applies, are determined for persons who become former members after the commencement of this Determination and are not persons to whom item 1 of the table in subsection 10(1) of the Parliamentary Retirement Travel Act 2002 applies (certain former Prime Ministers).

4.2 Subject to clause 4.2A:

4.2.1 The expenses are the fares for up to three return trips on scheduled commercial transport that are taken within three months after the person becomes a former member and are:

a. trips between the person’s home base and Canberra; or

b. trips between the person’s home base and the place of any office provided to the person as a senator, a member of the House of Representatives, a Minister or an office holder.

4.2.2 A person may exchange one or more of the three fares that would otherwise be paid under clause 4.2.1 for a private vehicle allowance, if they make the same return trip in a private vehicle. If a person exchanges a fare for a private vehicle allowance, the expenses are either:

a. a private vehicle allowance for the return trip, calculated at the rate prescribed in clause 6.1, or

b. the amount of the fare that is being exchanged,

whichever is lower.

4.2A Where, immediately before the person became a former member, the Commonwealth provided the person with three or more electorate offices of a kind mentioned in subsection 72(1) of the Parliamentary Business Resources Regulations 2017:

4.2A.1 The expenses are the fares for up to four return trips on scheduled commercial transport that are taken within three months after the person becomes a former member and are:

a. trips between the person’s home base and Canberra; or

b. trips between the person’s home base and the place of any office provided to the person as a member of the House of Representatives.

4.2A.2 A person may exchange one or more of the four fares that would otherwise be paid under clause 4.2A.1 for a private vehicle allowance, if they make the same return trip in a private vehicle. If a person exchanges a fare for a private vehicle allowance, the expenses are either:

a. a private vehicle allowance for the return trip, calculated at the rate prescribed in clause 6.1, or

b. the amount of the fare that is being exchanged,

whichever is lower.

4.3 Where a trip is on a service that provides for more than one class of passenger travel, expenses are determined only for a trip in economy class.

4.4 Expenses are not payable for trips taken by a person other than the former member.