Monash University > Human Resources > International Staff Services

Staff International Travel Procedures for Australian Campuses

Part B - Detailed Procedural Guidelines

Monash University Request for Approval to Undertake International Travel (The Travel Plan)
Security and Risk Management
Authorisation / Approval for International Travel
Travel Class
Passport/Visa/Work Permit
Travel Bookings
Accommodation and local transport while travelling
Insurance
Financial Considerations - expenses, travel costs and leave entitlements

1. Monash University Request for Approval to Undertake International Travel (The Travel Plan)

Rationale

A completed Travel Plan (MS Word) provides the university with the relevant information and contact details and supports:

comprehensive planning to utilise the trip most effectively;
contact with the traveller in the event of any emergencies or unexpected occurrences;
comprehensive budgeting for travel on behalf of both the traveller and the funding entity, and
the university's commitment that all its dealings are characterised by openness and transparency and conform to best academic and financial standards.

Procedure

Each faculty and division should develop and maintain an electronic or paper-based system for recording, reporting and authorising/approving individual Travel Plans. The purpose of the Travel Plan is to provide collated documentation of a staff member's planned travel.
If the required information listed below is collected for OSP or other purposes, then that documentation can be provided as the staff member's Travel Plan.
A position within the Faculty, Department or Division must be nominated with responsibility for retaining copies of Travel Plans and itineraries for that area and for providing the contact point in the case of any emergencies.
For Postgraduate Research students, a copy of the Travel Plan completed for the Faculty, should also be forwarded to the Graduate Research School.
Staff within the Faculty, Department or Division will be informed of the Travel Plan documentation requirements and the appropriate person for authorisation and lodgement within their area.
Staff will be advised by the Faculty, Department or Division of their responsibility to advise Corporate Finance Division of any private travel which may be included in international travel of a business nature so that Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) can be assessed where applicable.
Travel Plans must include the following information as a minimum requirement :
1. Name of Traveller
2. Faculty/Department
3. Passport No. and Country of Issue
4. Emergency contact details:- name and telephone no. (not a co-traveller)
5. Outline of proposed work activities, including dates and anticipated number of hours/days of meetings /conference and the outcomes anticipated for the university
6. DFAT warning status (current) of intended destinations
7. Listing of visas required
8. Confirmation of a check with the on-line Insurance website to establish whether there are currently countries/regions where insurers require prior clearance before providing cover.
9. Confirmation that FBT advice has been sought, when private travel is included with business travel, from fbthelp-l@adm.monash.edu.au
10. Trip details including airline and flight number or other travel mode (e.g. train), departure and arrival location dates and times (Route details are not required, departure and arrival destination only)
11. Details of the TMC through which travel will be booked and, if not booked through the preferred TMC, the reasons for using another provider. (Refer to Part 6 of the Guidelines).
12. Costs including airfare, accommodation and other relevant costs.
13. Leave form (if applicable)
14. Authorisation/approval
15. Staff member signature
In order for a staff member or postgraduate research student undertaking Monash University work/research during private travel to have the work deemed as work time, the staff member will need to attach details outlining the proposed work activities, including dates and anticipated number of hours/days of meetings /conference and the outcomes anticipated for the university to the Travel Plan. This should be authorised / approved by the Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Vice President, Dean, Divisional Director or their formal delegate prior to undertaking the work.
A Travel Plan addressing the areas listed above will provide most of the details required for the Monash University Travel Diary which must be provided to the Faculty / Directorate International Travel Officer on completion of the trip.

2. Security and Risk Management

Rationale

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) produces and issues travel advisories for Australian travellers or residents. The advisories are issued to ensure that Australians travelling are well informed and well prepared for overseas travel and to assist in avoiding dangers and difficulties. The content of the advisories is important and the objective is for people to be able to make well-informed decisions about travel. The Vice Chancellor or Deputy Vice Chancellor (International) or formal delegate may, if it is considered appropriate, impose a complete travel ban to certain countries / areas and may require staff already located therein, to return to their home campus.

The warnings posted by DFAT and the World Health Organisation (WHO) are critical for staff safety, security and at times for university insurance cover.

The university subscribes to a traveller locater system called FlightLock that monitors all travel bookings made through the preferred TMC. A staff members travel details are captured in FlightLock by an automatic update of traveller details from the preferred TMC. Staff travel details cannot be entered manually into FlightLock.

FlightLock provides a warning of risky locations at the time a person makes a booking. Notification of Monash University staff booking to risky locations is automatically emailed to the Security and Insurance managers. The system also facilitates the automatic contact by email to persons who might be in, or about to leave for, an affected region.

Procedure

Staff must read the DFAT Travel advisories and attach the latest advisory to their Travel Plan when submitting the request for approval.
These advisories can be accessed via SmartTraveller. Further information can be sourced from Embassyworld.com
The World Health Organisation (WHO) publishes travel recommendations which are utilised by DFAT in their travel warning system. Direct access to WHO travel warnings can be sourced from the WHO website.

DFAT travel advisories

DFAT travel advisories fall into five broad categories and indicate DFAT's overall assessment of the security situation in a particular country;

Be alert to your own security
Exercise caution and monitor developments that might affect your safety
Exercise a high degree of caution
Reconsider your need to travel
Advised not to travel.

A DFAT travel warning advising to “Reconsider your need to travel” or “Advised not to travel” may result in the staff member not being permitted to travel or remain in the country to which the warning refers. All such requests to travel to a location which has a DFAT warning advising to “Reconsider your need to travel” or “Advised not to travel”, will be dealt with on a case by case basis.

Exemptions to travel where a warning exists

Advice on the current security risks will be provided by the university Security Office. Should an exemption be sought, a written request from the Authorising Officer, or their formal delegate, must be submitted to the university Security Manager and is to address each of the following criteria:

The authorising officer is satisfied that the travel cannot be deferred
The authorising officer is satisfied that the travel is essential for the staff member's work
In their opinion, the staff member travelling has identified and / or is fully aware of potential risks in (country/city) and will engage in suitable risk reduction strategies
In their opinion, the staff member has the necessary additional expertise, local networks, support and language that may be required to substantially reduce or deal with the risks
Travel insurance cover has been confirmed by the Insurance Services Office.

When travel is not recommended by the university Security Manager

In instances where travel is not recommended by the university's Security Manager, staff may appeal to the Deputy Vice Chancellor (International). However, there must compelling reasons to travel to destinations where there is a DFAT warning advising to “Reconsider your need to travel” or “Advised not to travel”. Only travel that is considered essential will be approved.

Whether travel is essential will be a matter for final judgment by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (International) and will be based on factors such as:

the needs of the work unit or research program;
concern for personal safety;
personal knowledge of the country or area and,
travel insurance cover is confirmed by the Insurance Services Office.

The Deputy Vice Chancellor (International) in making a final decision shall take into account:

that the travel cannot be deferred;
the staff members expertise;
the staff members local networks, support and language ability, and
whether the staff member has the capacity to implement a suitable risk reduction strategy.

The above issues must be noted in the Travel Plan along with the current DFAT warning together with the advice provided by the university's Security Manager.

If an exemption is granted and a staff member travels to a location for which a DFAT warning advises to “reconsider your need to travel” or “advised not to travel”, then the staff member must;

register with the Australian embassy in that country;
keep their contact details current at all times, and
maintain their email and regularly check in with the home office whilst travelling to ensure they are aware of any changes to the security status of the countries they are visiting.

Emergency Evacuation

Staff should monitor threatening situations and maintain contact with the Australian Embassy in the host country. Staff must contact the Australian Embassy and the Monash Business Travel insurer prior to taking any action to evacuate. An emergency assistance contact number for the Monash Business Travel insurer is provided on the travel insurance certificate.

In case of an emergency overseas, the first point of contact with Monash University should be the Authorising Officer - the Dean, Divisional Director or their formal delegate who will notify the university Security Manager.

3. Authorisation / Approval for International Travel

Rationale

The international travel policy and procedures relate to all international travel undertaken as part of a staff member's formal work on behalf of Monash University. Authorisation of a Travel Plan which includes a clear purpose of the travel and a detailed program of work to be undertaken enables those senior people responsible:

to fulfill their management responsibilities towards the university as an employing organisation;
to fulfill their management responsibilities towards staff who are travelling;
to be alert to overall travel costs for individuals and as part of the overall travel budget, and
to co-ordinate travel of staff within the area of responsibility.

Procedure

Travel may be authorised for the following activities :
- attending a conference, symposium or workshop;
- taking up and returning from an expatriate posting;
- undertaking an Outside Studies Program (OSP) which has been fully endorsed by the university;
- conducting commercial business on behalf of the university, including consulting;
- specific approved tours, such as touring orchestra, choir or sports team;
- undertaking research field work;
- visiting fellowships at overseas universities/institutions;
- appointing of overseas Chairs;
- education at offshore locations;
- undertaking marketing and business development activities;
- visiting offshore campuses and or centres;
- external secondments approved and funded by the university, and
- (other) travel specifically approved by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Vice President, Dean or Divisional Director.
Authorisation / approval can be provided for international work whether or not the university is funding all or part of the travel component, provided that :
- any obligations of the university under the Monash University Enterprise Agreement (Academic and General Staff) 2005 or its successor are met; and
- a Travel Plan has been are completed and provided to the relevant officer.
Approval / authorisation can only be provided by the Vice-Chancellor, a Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Vice President, Dean or Divisional Director or their formal delegate.
In the case of exemptions where travel warnings exist and/or appropriate insurance is not available, final approval/authorisation for travel can only be obtained on application from the Authorising Officer to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International).
In order to gain formal authorisation, the traveller must complete a Travel Plan in the required format and submit the plan for approval to the appropriate signatory.
A decision to authorise / approve international travel must be based on;
- whether the intended international travel is a component of a staff member's work for the university
- the current DFAT advice.
- whether the university Insurance Program applies in respect to the intended destinations.

Note - If a DFAT travel warning advising to 'Reconsider your need to travel' or 'Advised not to travel' exists, then the Authorising Officer will need to check with the university Security Manager, who will advise on a case by case basis. If an exemption is sought, then a written request will need to be made to the university's Security Manager.

University Security Manager
Email: travelsecurity@adm.monash.edu.au
Telephone: (03) 9902 0087

Note - If insurance limitations or exclusions exist, the Authorising Officer will need to check with the university Insurance Manager, whether insurance can be obtained for the proposed destination. These issues will be treated on a case-by-case basis and final authorisation will only be provided on application to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (International).

Email: John.Freeman@adm.monash.edu.au
Telephone: (03) 9905 6368

4. Travel Class

Rationale

The choice of travel class for Monash University staff is based on balancing cost with a need for staff to be fit and able to work effectively at their destinations. Time available for 'recovery' from travel, especially across a number of time zones is a key factor in choice of travel class.

Under no circumstance is a staff member permitted to use university funds to travel first class.

Procedure

Premium Economy (where offered by the air line) or Business class airfares are available to the Monash University Vice Chancellor’s Group, Pro-Vice Chancellors, Deans and Divisional Directors. Economy class airfares are to be used by all other university employees, except as detailed in the Guidelines.

Premium Economy or Business Class airfares may be purchased when the airfare is fully funded at that level by an external organisation.
Economy class airfares are to be used by all other university employees, except under the following conditions when Premium Economy or Business Class airfares may be purchased depending on availability of funds. The following exceptional conditions must all apply:
- The staff member is travelling on one sector in excess of six hours;
- A reasonable rest period prior to commencing work duties is unavailable;
- No periods of annual leave are taken at either end of the trip, and
- The upgrade is approved by the Dean in the case of faculty-based staff or the Divisional Director in the case of divisional general staff.
Staff booked on an economy class ticket may use accumulated frequent flyer points to upgrade, where allowed by the airline.

5. Passport/Visa/Work Permit

All staff members must meet the entry and visa requirements of all countries they are visiting, transiting or working in. It is the staff member's responsibility to ensure that they have a valid passport which is not due to expire within six months of the end of the travel.

Staff members will need to check the visa/work permit requirements with the appropriate embassy/ high commission for the countries they will transit through or visit and ensure they comply with the requirements.

6. Travel Bookings

Monash University uses a preferred Travel Management Company (TMC) for the reasons outlined below. As the university checks the market regularly through a tender process, the preferred provider is always competitive. Consequently, it is required that all staff and postgraduate research students use the TMC. However, if a staff member is paying for at least 80% of their travel costs personally from their own after-tax income, or from funds which are in no way recoverable from the university, they may choose not to use the preferred Travel Management Company.

Rationale for use of preferred TMC

A specifically chosen TMC develops knowledge of travel activities relevant to university staff and students and is briefed to provide specialist assistance in matters concerning visas and travel permits.
A university's preferred TMC can effect travel bookings in accordance with the university's travel policy. This includes sourcing the “best fare of the day” and the use of preferred carriers (airlines) in order to consolidate travel expenditure which helps to maintain competitive discount pricing structures across the whole university sector in Australia. This particularly applies to the agreement with Qantas under the National University Agreement.
Use of the university's preferred TMC enables capture of up-to-date travel information / itinerary from Airline Global Distribution Systems and aids in the location and tracking of staff in times of emergency, using FlightLock.
Use of a preferred TMC facilitates the capture of essential management information that aggregates total expenditure with airline carriers, provides information on fare structures, savings generated, policy compliance, Insurance underwriting data and a means of monitoring travel expenditure.
A university's preferred TMC is a large organisation that can provide immediate support to travellers whilst overseas. These services are available 24 hours per day.
The preferred TMC may be used to book extensions to business related travel, (advice must be sought from Corporate Finance as to any FBT implications. Use of these services also extends to accompanying family members or associates who are not directly employed by the university.

Procedure

Approval to undertake international travel has been granted by the authorising officer.
Travel bookings should be made as early as possible with ticketing to be effected at least 3-4 weeks prior to travel.
Individual staff members planning to travel should contact the preferred TMC listed on the university Travel website to facilitate their bookings.
If a staff member has a written quotation from a non-preferred travel agent, then the staff member may use that agent only under the following conditions:
- o The quotation must be for a bookable seat - i.e. confirmed availability
- o A written quotation has been forwarded to the TMC, to provide the preferred TMC with an opportunity to match the booking, (fare matching rules)
- o The TMC is unable to match the booking
- (visit the Financial Resources Management Fare Matching page for details on the policy and procedures to be followed when asking the TMC to match a fare)
FlightLock is activated through the TMC, and is the system which enables the university to locate and contact if necessary, any staff member especially in a time of crisis.
Any staff member granted permission by the TAO to use a non-preferred travel provider must provide their final travel details to the TAO to enable the TAO to record the staff members trip details in an ancillary register.
The conditions for selection of travel class are outlined in Section 4 above.

7. Accommodation and local transport while travelling

Rationale

Accommodation

In order for staff to feel safe and to make most effective use of their time overseas, the university has developed the following three principles which should be applied to the selection of accommodation whenever the university is funding the travel and accommodation. When individuals are funding their own expenses for overseas work, it is recommended, but not mandatory, that the following principles are applied:

The accommodation should provide a safe and secure environment
The accommodation is convenient to the place of work
The accommodation provides value for money spent in the relevant country. In many countries, this means that accommodation will be at the 3 - 4 star level. However, it is recognised that in some areas 5-star level accommodation will be required.

Procedure

Check the location of work being undertaken overseas.
Review the types of accommodation available in the area/s.
Apply the above criteria / principles to this accommodation.
Detail planned accommodation and anticipated costs in the Travel Plan.
Hotels can be booked through the university's preferred TMC. In addition the National Universities Travel Consortium (NUTC) provides a means of self-booking hotel rooms online at competitive rates through Global Destination Management (GDM). GDM provides an online booking facility which can be accessed via the Travel Advisory Office website.
Payment for accommodation can be made with the university's Corporate Card.

Local Transport

Where public transport is a safe and economical means of travelling locally, consideration should be given to using it.

However, when this is not available car rental bookings in overseas countries should be made directly with the university's preferred TMC. This particular requirement may not apply for those with OSP funding which is paid directly into a staff member's personal account.

If hiring a car for any Monash University business, staff members must take all insurance offered by the motor vehicle hire company. The Monash University Corporate Card can be used to pay for this.

8. Insurance

Rationale

Insurance is designed to protect the traveller and the university against financial loss arising from travel.

Procedure

Use of the university's preferred TMC enables capture of all travel bookings in FlightLock. Systems are being developed to enable data from Flightlock to be used to automate the issue of travel insurance certificates in the future. Until this change is announced it remains critical for travellers to continue to register online for university Business Travel insurance as the countries covered by insurance may vary from time to time.

Staff can register on the Insurance Services website.

Successful completion of the online travel insurance form provides the staff member with:

A Confirmation of Cover Certificate and
Emergency telephone number if required whilst overseas.

From time to time the university's insurers have concerns about certain countries/regions and may require prior clearance on a case-by-case basis before insurance cover is provided. When applicable, a list of these countries/regions will be available on the Insurance Services website.

FlightLock will alert the intending traveller if a booking has been made to any of these countries/regions. The Authorising Officer will need to check with the university Insurance Manager, John.Freeman@adm.monash.edu.au Contact: (03) 9905 6365 to ascertain whether appropriate insurance can be obtained. These issues will be treated on a case-by-case basis and final authorisation will only be provided on application to the Deputy Vice Chancellor (International).

The key elements of the university Business Travel Insurance policy include:

Personal accident and sickness
Kidnap and extortion
Hijack and Detention
Medical, additional expenses and cancellation / curtailment expenses
Rescue and Emergency assistance
Loss of Deposits
Baggage / Business Property and Money / Travel documents
Alternative employee / resumption of assignment expenses
Personal Liability
Collision damage and theft excess on hire cars
Extra Territorial workers compensation
Missed Transport connection
Political Evacuation.

Notable exclusions include:

expenses incurred where a journey is undertaken against the advice of a qualified medical practitioner;
expenses incurred as a consequence of a condition wholly or partly caused by childbirth or pregnancy or the complications thereof;
replacement of lost or stolen goods if they are not reported to the Police or Transport carrier;
electronic equipment that is not carried as cabin baggage;
kidnap or extortion which occurs in Mexico, Central or South America;
medical treatment costs /additional expenses/cancellation or curtailment expenses arising from a pre-existing medical condition.

Travel for Longer than 180 Days

The university Business Travel Insurance policy provides cover for staff on a journey outside Australia that exceeds 180 days provided that the staff member;

does not remain in the one country longer than 180 days from their original departure date, or
is participating in the Monash University Outside Studies Program (OSP), or
is otherwise declared to the Insurer prior to commencing travel (an extra premium may apply)

NB:

The maximum length of cover available under the policy is 12 months under any circumstances.
All travel in excess of 180 days must be notified directly to the Insurance Services Office (prior to obtaining travel, ticketing) to confirm that the additional cover has been implemented.
The Business Travel Insurance policy only provides 'emergency type' medical cover and is not equivalent to an Australian private health fund cover.

Travel Insurance for Accompanying Family Members

Cover for accompanying family members is not available under the university's Business Travel Insurance Policy.

Insurance in Emergency Evacuation

Staff should monitor threatening situations and maintain contact with the Australian Embassy in the host country. The Embassy will provide direction on the need and arrangements to evacuate. Staff must also contact the Business Travel insurer prior to taking any action to evacuate. An emergency assistance contact number is issued on receipt of insurance registration.

Security of Electronic Equipment

For insurance purposes all electronic equipment including mobile telephones and laptop computers must accompany the passenger as cabin luggage.

Staff should go to the Travellers Guide to IT to access guidelines for travelling with electronic equipment.

Staff on International Assignment (Expatriate posting)

Staff will be covered by the university's Business Travel Insurance Policy for the flight overseas and their return to Australia, providing they register their travel details on the Insurance Services website. However, during their assignment, they are covered for health benefits by the Expatriate Health Insurance Plan.

For specific advice on insurance coverage for international assignments, staff should contact the International Unit, HR Operations, Human Resources Division on 613 9905 6044.

Group Travel

People organising group travel need to be aware of the number of staff travelling on any one air flight at the one time. Trip co-ordinators can check with the TMC to obtain feedback on multiple bookings on any one flight. Alternatively, the Insurance Services Office can be contacted to ascertain details on multiple bookings on a particular flight in Flightlock. This is necessary to ensure that any resultant insurance claims do not exceed the aggregate policy limit and to comply with risk management imperatives ensuring that a limited number of staff travel on any one flight together.

9. Financial Considerations - expenses, travel costs and leave entitlements

Rationale

The university is committed to ensuring that university funds are spent in a responsible and cost effective manner.

A series of procedures have been developed to capture financial information and data for organisational management of finance and taxation requirements.

Procedure

Monash University's Corporate Card is the preferred method of payment for all business travel and associated expenses. If the Corporate card is not accepted staff may use their own credit card and be reimbursed on presentation of receipts (as per 'Purchasing Policies and Procedures' on the website).

Car rental, taxis and all reasonable additional charges incurred during the business trip should be charged to the university's corporate card.

Note: Staff are encouraged to use public transport where feasible and safe to do so.

Frequent Flyer Points for University Paid Travel

The university will not fund Frequent Flyer memberships. Frequent Flyer points accumulated on university paid travel inclusive of points from airfares, car hire, accommodation, food and beverages, and any additional use of the Corporate card should be used wherever possible for Monash University business. Airline and credit card reward schemes should be redeemed to cover travel and accommodation costs wherever possible.

Airline Clubs

The university will not fund airline club memberships. University employees can, however, negotiate such memberships as part of their salary packaging arrangements.

University staff are eligible to access the special corporate rate offered to Monash University Australia for membership to the Qantas Club. For details on rates visit the Financial Resources Management Qantas Club Membership page.

Leave entitlements associated with university Travel

Where private travel, such as a period of annual leave or Long Service Leave, is combined with university business travel and it is considered to be more than incidental to the business travel, the expenditure may incur FBT. Generally each case has to be analysed separately as to the length of the work related travel compared to the length of the holiday. It is the Department, Division or Faculty's responsibility to ensure Corporate Finance Division is advised of any private travel which may be included in overseas travel of a business nature so that FBT can be assessed where applicable. All travel involving a private component should be e-mailed to fbthelp-l@adm.monash.edu.au for further advice. Additional information on FBT as it relates to travel can be found at the Corporate Finance Business Travel Diary Policy.

Also see

Leave to attend conferences and undertake fieldwork

Accompanying Family Members

There are no circumstances where costs associated with accompanying family members may be charged to university funds. If booking accompanying family members through the preferred TMC all associated costs are to be charged to the staff member's personal credit card.

Travel Diary

The Monash University Travel Diary must be completed by end of trip and provided to the nominated Faculty / Directorate International Travel Officer who will make it available to Monash University Corporate Finance along with the expense report.

Information relating to the Travel Diary is available on the Corporate Services Business Travel Diary Policy as well as a proforma for the university Travel Diary.