Remote
entitlements updated
 |
|
Serving
remotely: Some regulations have been relaxed in the RLLT
update, soldiers should check their entitlements under the
new rules.Photo by Lt Cameron Jamieson.
|
By
Bob Jones
Volume 11, No. 38, March 8, 2006
CHANGED Remote Location Leave Travel (RLLT) arrangements that took
effect on February 1 are the second stage of a major update in remote
location entitlements.
The first stage happened on September 1, last year and included
changes in location grades and allowances for remote locations.
The second stage involves changes to the RLLT entitlement and a
reduction of additional recreation leave for personnel in some remote
locations.
What is the new RLLT package?
The new RLLT package has two parts, called “Scheme A”
and “Scheme B”.
Scheme A – this is the old RLLT entitlement. Some limits on
its use have been relaxed:
-
Entitled
members with dependants (separated) can now use Scheme A RLLT
as well as reunion travel even if their dependants do not live
in a remote area.
-
Entitled
members without dependants can now use Scheme A RLLT and recreation
leave travel – before, they could only use one or the other.
Scheme B – this is a new RLLT entitlement. Entitled members
and their families can now:
-
Travel
by air to any capital city in Australia except Darwin.
-
Offset
a travel entitlement to pay for up to two close family members
to visit them in the remote location (children’s entitlements
cannot be transferred).
For both schemes, members and dependants can travel at different
times and to different locations.
What remote locations get RLLT now?
Members’ entitlement to RLLT depends on the grade of their
posted location. The grading scheme changed on September 1. The
new grades can be found on the Defence Pay and Conditions web site
and in Pacman.
To be entitled to either scheme, members must be expected to serve
in the remote location for at least one year (for Grade B, C, D,
and E locations) or at least two years (for Grade A locations).
Scheme A is available to all members serving in a remote location.
The number of trips depends on the location grade:
-
Grade
A: one trip every two years.
-
Grades
B, C, D and E: one trip every year.
Members with dependants in Grades B, C, D, and E are entitled
to one Scheme B trip every year as well as their Scheme A trip.
What about separated dependants?
The families of members with dependants (separated) do not get RLLT
in their own right unless they live in a remote location themselves.
Provided the dependants remain in a remote location after a member
posts out, they will receive the RLLT entitlement for that location.
A member may transfer his or her RLLT entitlement to a dependant,
so the dependant can visit the member in the remote locality.
What other rules are there for RLLT?
There are some special rules that cover other aspects of RLLT:
-
Members
whose spouse is a Defence APS employee or ADF member.
-
Members
whose domestic status changes while serving in a remote location.
-
Members serving at RAAF Tindal.
-
Deferring
RLLT, or taking it in advance.
-
When
entitlements accrue and lapse.
These
rules can be found on the Defence Pay and Conditions web site
and in Pacman.
How does RLLT affect other government benefits?
Taking RLLT can affect child support payments, government benefits,
and some tax-related charges. The effect depends on whether the
RLLT is reported on a member’s payment summary. RLLT travel
is fringe-benefits reportable if a member:
-
Offsets
RLLT against the cost of travel for a close family member to
visit the remote location, or
-
Offsets
RLLT against the cost of travel to a destination that is not
a major population centre in Australia, or
-
Does
not live in a remote area as defined by the ATO (see info online)
Members can find out what this means by reading about fringe
benefits tax reporting in Pacman (see info online).
The ATO, Centrelink and the Child Support Agency all offer online
calculators that members can use to help estimate the effect
of using RLLT (see info online).
What are the changes to leave?
The additional recreation leave entitlement for members serving
in Grade B, C, D, and E remote locations has been reduced by two
days a year. Most members in these locations will still accrue between
25 and 35 days’ recreation leave a year.
Where can I get more information?
Members can get more information online (see info online), or from
their orderly room, ship’s office, or local administrative
centre.
|
