Travel reform on the cards

TRAVEL by all Defence members is about to undergo massive change designed to save millions of dollars.

Beginning next month, the reforms – known as the Travel Improvement Project (TRIP) – will see the introduction of a corporate credit card, the Defence Travel Card, to pay for accommodation, meals, incidentals and travel.

This will replace allowances being paid directly into the bank accounts of personnel.

Another key change is the introduction of the Defence Travel Budget Calculator to calculate a draft travel budget for approval before the journey.

The budget will consist of the actual cost of accommodation based on scheduled rates as well as a capped expenditure rate for meals and incidentals. Travellers will not be able to cash in any difference between the approved accommodation rate and what they have spent.

The DTC will also have an automatic teller machine cash withdrawal facility if, for example, restaurants do not accept the card.

Other changes, announced in Defgram 29/2004 by Deputy Secretary Corporate Services Alan Henderson, issued on January 27, will include:

• A Standing Offer for hotel accommodation across Australia.
• An online booking tool to book all travel arrangements from one web site using your DTC.
• An after-travel-verifi cation process via an electronic card management system.

  The traveller’s delegate will check all expenditure on the DTC against the approved budget.

The first Defence staff to be affected by the travel reforms, known as the Defence Travel Model (DTM), will be civilian and military one and two star officers, Defence staff travelling overseas for less than six months, and a group of volunteers from DPE and CSIG.

From March, they will use the DTC and the travel budget calculator as part of the evaluation of the DTM before it is rolled out to the rest of Defence in either August or September.

The Defgram says following the implementation of the travel reforms, using the DTM for ADF relocations, operations, exercises and deployments would be considered.

It also says Defence would save more than $6 million, generated from the ability to save input tax credits.

Other benefits for Defence would be:

• A major productivity offset for the Defence Employees Certifi ed Agreement and the ADF Workplace Remuneration Arrangement, contributing to pay rises for Defence personnel from 2004-2206.
• Greater effi ciency in travel processing with Defence.
• Accountability and transparency of travel within Defence.

The Defgram also says negotiations are under way with Qantas and short-term vehicle rental companies to pay for travel using the DTC.

SIG’s Business Services Branch is implementing the project.

For further information, contact the project team on (02) 6266 3636 or visit http://intranet.defence.gov.au/travel.

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