The commercial transport allowance covers certain transportation related costs incurred by Members who travel within Australia to perform their public duties.
The commercial transport allowance can be claimed for transport costs, which include costs required for a person to travel by commercial transport. “Transport costs" and “commercial transport” are defined in guideline 3. Transport costs do not include travel in Victoria by motor vehicle, except for reasonable transport directly to or from a Victorian airport, or parking fees at a Victorian airport. Where possible and appropriate, Members should aim to use their motor vehicle, motor vehicle allowance or access to free public transport to meet their transport costs in Victoria.
There are some restrictions on claims for transport costs incurred to undertake parliamentary business or committee business at Parliament, including that generally a Member’s home base must be outside an 80 kilometre radius from the centre of Melbourne to claim the allowance for this purpose.
20. Claiming the commercial transport allowance
20.1 A Member may claim the commercial transport allowance for transport costs actually incurred to perform their public duties within Australia.
20.2 A Member must not make a claim under sub-guideline (1) to attend to parliamentary business or committee business at Parliament (including sittings of the Member’s House of Parliament), unless the Member’s home base is:
20.2.a outside a radius of 80 kilometres from the Melbourne centre; or
20.2.b outside the metropolitan area and the Member satisfies the relevant Clerk that the shortest practicable route by road between the Member’s home base and the Melbourne centre exceeds 80 kilometres.
20.3 When the sitting of the Member’s House of Parliament ends after 11:30pm, a Member may claim the commercial transport allowance for the cost actually incurred for transport by motor vehicle:
20.3.a from the Parliament to the Member’s home base or, if the Member is claiming the parliamentary accommodation sitting allowance, to their parliamentary accommodation; and
20.3.b from the Member’s home base or, if the Member is claiming the parliamentary accommodation sitting allowance, from their parliamentary accommodation to the Parliament on the following day.
20.4 For the purposes of sub-guideline (3), a Member may not claim the commercial transport allowance for any transport services provided to the Member by family members, public sector employees, electorate officers, ministerial officers or parliamentary advisers.
20.5 The total amount claimed under sub-guidelines (1) and (3) for each financial year must not exceed the amount set in the Determination.
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