Remote
changes to travel rules
By
Bob Jones, Directorate of Service Conditions
Volume 48, No. 3, March 9, 2006
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Knowing
the RLLT changes can mean all the difference when posted
to a remote locality. Our photo shows LACW Eloise Overton
in Las Vegas, no not a recognised remote locality!
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Photo by LAC Mark McConnell
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THE
second stage of a major update in remote location entitlements
has been released with sweeping changes to remote location leave
travel (RLLT).
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, “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 transfered).
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 the
Pay and Conditions Manual (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 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 too live in a remote location.
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 the entitlement to a dependant, so the dependant
can visit the member in the remote locality.
What other rules are there for RLLT?
There
are rules that cover other aspects of RLLT:
-
Members whose spouse is a Defence APS employee or ADF member,
- Members
whose domestic status changes whilst serving in a remote location,
- Members
serving at RAAF Base 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?
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.
Information
about fringe benefits tax reporting can be found in PACMAN.
The ATO, Centrelink and the Child Support Agency all offer online
calculators that members can use to help estimate the effect of
using RLLT
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 from the following list of websites,
from their orderly room, or local administrative centre.
Information
online:
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