Staff Travel
Pre-departure authorisation
Prior to undertaking any University-related travel, you must notify and obtain approval from your Discipline Chair. Your Chair will need to indicate his/her approval on your HR18/HR18D form as outlined in the procedures below.
Travel Approval forms
Prior to international travel, you must complete the electronic HR18 “Approval for International Travel" form.
Prior to domestic travel, you must complete the electronic HR18D “Approval for Domestic Travel" form.
If you are having trouble opening the HR18 on a MAC, save the file to your desktop and open from the saved file.
Once you have completed your HR18/HR18D form, you should save it electronically, print off a hard copy and then sign the “Employee declaration (pre trip)” on page 3. Your Chair must then indicate approval of the travel by recording his/her initials next to the “Approval” section on this same page. Your form – together with any supporting documentation required - should then be submitted to the Executive Assistant in Room 534 for approval by the Head of School.
Risk assessment
On both the HR18 and HR18D forms, you will be asked to conduct a risk assessment for your proposed trip by following the electronic links provided. If your trip involves activities deemed medium to very high risk, it is essential that you complete the School’s Fieldwork Risk Assessment Plan and attach it to your HR18/HR18D.
If you are seeking to travel to a destination against DFAT advice (i.e. DFAT advises “reconsider your need to travel” or “do not travel”), you must outline your case to the Dean and should not proceed without his approval.
Travel diaries
A travel diary is essential for all international travel and for any domestic travel in excess of five nights. You must submit a fully completed, signed travel diary within 14 days of returning from your trip. This is extremely important so the Australian Tax Office can verify the business nature of your trip. Failure to comply with travel diary requirements may attract serious taxation penalties for which you will be held liable.
A blank travel diary is contained on page 3 of both the HR18 and HR18D forms. Prior to departure, you can use this section to record tentative details of your trip. On your return, you should review the details and modify as necessary. You should then print out a fresh hard copy, sign the “Employee declaration (post trip)”, and submit to the School’s Finance staff.
For detailed information regarding travel diary procedures and requirements, please visit the following section of the Financial Operations website: http://www.unimelb.edu.au/finops/resources/fbt/travel_diaries.html
Pre-departure payment of airfares and other costs
If you would like administration staff to pay your airfares, accommodation, conference registration or other costs by visa card prior to your departure, please contact Finance staff in Room 506. You will need to provide invoices/quotes and specify which account the expenses should be debited to. Please note that no expenses can be paid in advance until your HR18/HR18D has been approved by your Discipline Chair and the Head of School.
The university has two preferred travel suppliers – Campus Travel (tel: 1300 882 021) and American Express (tel: 9633 6342). You are free to use other suppliers but you should still obtain a quote from either Campus Travel or American Express and retain it for comparative purposes.
Reimbursement of expenses post-travel
If you are planning to claim expenses related to your travel retrospectively, you will need to keep all receipts and complete an Employee Expense Report (pdf, 65kb) on your return. Finance staff cannot reimburse any travel expenses until a fully completed travel diary is received.
Research participant payments
If your trip will involve payments to research participants, you can seek a cash advance for this purpose from the School’s Finance staff. The advance will need to be reconciled on your return. Alternatively, you can incur the cost of payments upfront and then apply for reimbursement on your return.
Please note that when giving payments to research participants, it is essential that they acknowledge the payment by signing a “Record of Research Participation” (.doc, 87kb) form. These signatures will be used in lieu of receipts as proof of your expenditure.
Meals and Incidentals allowance
If you want to apply for a Meals & Incidentals cash advance via Payroll, you will need to specify this on your HR18/HR18D and attach a completed travel calculator (.xls, 1.1mb).
Further travel information
For an extensive guide to the University’s travel policies, please visit the travel section of the Personnel Policy and Procedures Manual: http://www.unimelb.edu.au/ppp/docs/14.html#14.1.
Primary travel contacts
If you require any further information or clarification, please contact:
Gavin Nebauer – Room 513, ext 45195, email gavinjn@unimelb.edu.au
Some other useful links
TBA
Student Travel
Full details for student travel are in the Postgraduate section of this website.
Information on this page current as at 7 November 2008