The RACP Travel Policy and Guidelines
Australia and New Zealand
Author(s): Financial Controller
Team: Shared Services
Owner: Executive General Manager, Shared Services
Approved By: Finance and Risk Management Committee
Effective Date: 27/08/2024
Next Review Date: 24/08/2027
Related Policies and
Procedures:
•
Expense and Credit Card Policy
•
College Office Holder Travel and Expense Allowances Policy
•
Travel System User Manual
•
Claim for Reimbursement of Travel Expenses Form
•
Vehicle Log Form
•
Employee Expense Claim Form
Australia and New Zealand
Date of commencement: Approved by Finance and Risk Management Committee: 25 June 2024
Date of most recent amendment: 27 Aug 2024
Page 2 of 15
Contents
1.
Quality of Service ................................................................................................................................. 3
2.
Travel Authorisations ........................................................................................................................... 3
2.1.
Travel Amendment Requests ............................................................................................................ 3
3.
Meeting Conditions .............................................................................................................................. 3
4.
Accommodation ................................................................................................................................... 4
5.
Preferred Accommodation and Billing .................................................................................................. 4
6.
Preferred Carrier and Fare Class ......................................................................................................... 5
7.
Loyalty Programs ................................................................................................................................. 5
8.
Reimbursement and Expenses ............................................................................................................ 5
9.
Travel Insurance .................................................................................................................................. 7
10.
Emergencies ...................................................................................................................................... 7
11.
Accompanying Persons ..................................................................................................................... 7
12.
Non-College Members ....................................................................................................................... 7
13.
Divisional Clinical Exams ................................................................................................................... 8
14.
For Fellows, Trainees and College staff in Australia and New Zealand .............................................. 8
15.
Group Bookings 10 PAX and Over ..................................................................................................... 8
16.
Completing online Locomote (Travel Beyond) Travel Request (For College staff only) ..................... 8
17.
Make a booking in Australia and New Zealand .................................................................................. 9
APPENDIX 1 – College Preferred Hotels............................................................................................ 11
APPENDIX 2 – Claim for Reimbursement of Travelling Expenses Form ............................................ 12
APPENDIX 3 – Employee Expense Claim Form................................................................................. 13
APPENDIX 4 – Vehicle Log Claim Form ............................................................................................. 14
APPENDIX 5 – Locomote Crisis Management Process ..................................................................... 15
Australia and New Zealand
Date of commencement: Approved by Finance and Risk Management Committee: 25 June 2024
Date of most recent amendment: 1 June 2023
Page 3 of 15
Travel Policy
1. Quality of Service
The College Procurement Department monitors the quality of travel including accommodation and
customer service. We invite feedback from travellers and College staff by email to
TravelA[email protected]u.au. This
information will be used for supplier management, user satisfaction and
system and process improvements.
Travellers may also provide feedback to staff responsible for their meeting arrangements.
For finance related queries contact accounts.payable@racp.edu.au
(Australia and Aotearoa NZ).
2. Travel Authorisations
Fellows, Trainees and College Staff must obtain approval prior to making any travel bookings. College
Staff must complete a travel request through the Locomote (Travel Beyond) online travel request before
contacting the relevant Travellers or the Travel Management Company (“TMC”). All travel bookings
should be made through the TMC however in the event bookings are made outside the TMC,
reimbursement may be sought (see Item 8 of this policy).
For College staff, final approval for domestic and travel to and from New Zealand must be obtained from
the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) member. Approval for staff international travel must be obtained from
the RACP CEO.
Any travel booked without prior approval may not be reimbursed by the College.
2.1. Travel Amendment Requests
Changes to a previously approved Travel Request must obtain re- approval:
•
If the request is approved but NOT finalised on Locomote, the change can be requested on the
Locomote Portal via the support chat function.
•
If the request was approved and booked on Locomote, the traveller will need to email
TravelAP@racp.edu.au.
•
If the change required is urgent (same day), please contact Travel Beyond via phone and
request the change. The Travel Beyond team will escalate the approval.
3. Meeting Conditions
All College Body Meetings must be held in Sydney for Australian based bodies and in Wellington for New
Zealand based bodies, except for the State/Regional Committees which hold their meetings in their
respective state or regions. In addition, the Board travels throughout Australia and New Zealand and
College Council also meets in various locations and is usually aligned with Board meetings. This Policy
should be read in conjunction with the College Meetings Policy.
If a tangible benefit can be demonstrated to the College, such as most College Body members reside in a
particular location, then the College Body may hold its meetings in a location other than Sydney or
Wellington. The guiding principle in determining other locations for holding meetings is that the cost to
hold a meeting in another location must be no greater than the cost of holding the meeting in Sydney or
Wellington.
Australia and New Zealand
Date of commencement: Approved by Finance and Risk Management Committee: 25 June 2024
Date of most recent amendment: 1 June 2023
Page 4 of 15
4. Accommodation
College meeting times are arranged where possible to allow travellers to leave their place of residence to
travel to a College meeting in the morning and return in the evening of the same day, at reasonable times.
College business (Committee meetings, etc.) will normally be scheduled to start at 10am and finish at
4pm. Where flight schedules allow travellers the opportunity to do this, no overnight accommodation will
be required.
For College business that falls outside of the scheduled meetings start and finish times or where flight
schedules do not permit a traveller the opportunity to return to their preferred location at a reasonable
time, accommodation may be provided upon request. Fellows, Trainees and College staff will not be
required to depart their place of residence or preferred location before 6am or return to their destination
after 10pm, however they may choose to do so. A traveller’s place of residence return evening destination
and time zones should be considered when reviewing accommodation requirements.
Where the duration of travel from a place of residence or similar location and the departure airport is
greater than 4 hours, the traveller may request accommodation.
The College TMC can book hotel accommodation at corporate rates worldwide. Fellow and Trainee
travellers are permitted a maximum allowance of $330AUD and $330NZD per room per night (excluding
applicable taxes). College Staff travellers are permitted a maximum allowance of $275AUD and $275NZD
per room per night (excluding applicable taxes).
In the event a requested hotel exceeds the College accommodation allowance, and there are no
reasonable alternatives, Managers may approve the additional spend under the following conditions;
•
The additional spend must be within the Manager’s delegation as per the Delegation Schedule; and
•
The Manager must inform their SLT member when approving the amount. This can be done by
CCing their SLT member in when responding to the TMC granting approval.
Alternatively, the TMC will provide an appropriate preferred hotel that should be located within a
reasonable distance to the College office or meeting location. However, if the traveller requests to stay at
a particular hotel, the difference will need to be approved or be at the traveller’s expense.
Where a non-preferred hotel is booked a non-refundable pre-payment may be required. Booking a non-
refundable hotel should only occur where absolutely necessary as additional costs may be incurred.
5. Preferred Accommodation and Billing
The College has several preferred Hotels, for details (see Appendix 1).
Fellows, Trainees and Staff should book their accommodation through the Locomote (Travel Beyond)
online travel request. Travellers should be aware that breakfast is not included in the room rate. The
College has made credit arrangements with preferred hotels booked through the TMC where breakfast
can be charged back. In addition, all meals consumed in a hotel restaurant can also be charged back. The
room rate includes in-room Wi-Fi Travellers who are unable to have breakfast within the hotel will be
reimbursed as per the meal reimbursement rate (see Meal Reimbursement Rates in Reimbursement and
Expenses). Any incidentals incurred by the traveller during their stay (e.g. phone, mini bar, late check- out
fees, etc) should be paid upon check out by the Traveller. Incidentals will not be reimbursed by the
College without prior approval.
Hotels not booked by the TMC must be paid for by the traveller and reimbursement should be sought
from the College. This excludes accommodation booked by the College Events department as part of a
large meeting or event.
Australia and New Zealand
Date of commencement: Approved by Finance and Risk Management Committee: 25 June 2024
Date of most recent amendment: 1 June 2023
Page 5 of 15
6. Preferred Carrier and Fare Class
Qantas is the preferred carrier in Australia and Air New Zealand in New Zealand. This does not preclude
booking other airlines if Qantas and Air New Zealand flight schedules are unsuitable. Please bear in mind
that alternative airline carrier flight conditions may apply to changes, re-booking and cancellations.
All travel within Australia and New Zealand must be economy class.
Board members, Fellows, Trainees and Staff flying for over 6 hours in total on a single leg* of any
domestic and trans-Tasman journey may travel premium economy.
For International flights (excluding trans-Tasman) travellers flying for College business may travel
business class.
Ticketing is electronic for all domestic and international bookings.
*Note: A single leg refers to the flight duration of either the outbound or return journey but not both.
7. Loyalty Programs
Qantas
Fellows, Trainees and Staff may apply for Qantas Club membership at a corporate discounted rate. The
corporate discount refers only to the membership rate and not to the joining fees. Applications and
payments must be made direct with Qantas. This is not reimbursable by the College.
New memberships can be arranged by contacting the Qantas Club Service Centre on 13 11 31 or
worldwide +61 3 9658 5302 and follow the prompts. It is essential to quote the corporate number 110976
to obtain the reduction.
Koru Club
Employees are able to receive discount rates for the Koru Club.
Points Programs
Loyalty program points (e.g. Qantas, Virgin & Air New Zealand) will accrue to the traveller for air travel
bookings and for some hotel bookings. Loyalty program points may be used for flight upgrades on most
domestic and international flights. For further details, please visit your eligible loyalty program provider.
8. Reimbursement and Expenses
Travellers who make bookings outside of Locomote (Travel Beyond) will need to submit a Claim for
Reimbursement of Travelling Expenses Form for Fellows and Trainees (see Appendix 2)
and an
Employee Expense Claim Form (see Appendix 3) for College Staff.
The College will pay air travel costs up to the equivalent air fare amount and reimbursements will be paid
by electronic bank transfer.
Australia and New Zealand
Date of commencement: Approved by Finance and Risk Management Committee: 25 June 2024
Date of most recent amendment: 1 June 2023
Page 6 of 15
Meals that are not charged to a hotel account as part of the Locomote (Travel Beyond) booking can be
claimed with the submission of receipts up to the amount specified in the tables below:
Meal Reimbursement Rates for Fellows and Trainees
Breakfast up to $40AUD and $40NZD plus GST
Lunch up to $50AUD and $50NZD plus GST
Dinner up to $130AUD and $130NZD plus GST
Meal Reimbursement Rates for College Staff
Breakfast up to $35AUD and $35NZD plus GST
Lunch up to $50AUD and $50NZD plus GST
Dinner up to $70AUD and $70NZD plus GST
Taxis between the traveller’s home, airport and/or meeting venues will be reimbursed by the College upon
receipt of a Claim Form.
Travellers within Australia may request from the College staff a Cab Charge card prior to travel. Travellers
within New Zealand may request from New Zealand College staff a taxi voucher or booking of a Cab.
Metropolitan car parking to attend College business may be reimbursed by submitting a Claim Form on
completion of the trip.
Requests for airport parking should be noted on the Travel request. Payment should be made by the
traveller and receipts for such parking should be submitted to the College attached to the Claim for
Reimbursement of Travelling Expenses Form on completion of the trip.
In the event a hire car is used, either in place of air travel or taxis, a Travel Request will need to be
completed. If a private car is used, a Travel Request will need to be completed prior to making a booking
and the approved request should be attached along with receipts to the Vehicle Log Form (see Appendix
4) for reimbursement. For private car claims, the College will reimbursement costs up to the equivalent air
fare amount and reimbursements will not be in the form of cash payment. Rates for business kilometre
reimbursement are as the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) / Inland Revenue Department (IRD) Rates.
RACP insurance cover for private car use requires a journey to be over 50km from home or residence,
work location or meeting/event location and does not cover damage to personal vehicles, only Third party
cover is provided.
Reasonable hotel internet charges incurred during travel for the College will be charged to the hotel
account as part of the Locomote (Travel Beyond) booking. Where internet charges cannot be charged to a
hotel account, these charges will be reimbursed directly upon sending a reimbursement form with receipts
to the College.
All other incidentals incurred by the Traveller during their hotel stay (e.g. phone, mini bar, late checkout
fees, etc.) should be paid upon check out by the Traveller and will not be reimbursed by the College without
prior approval.
For College employees, please refer to the Expense and Credit Card Policy
for information regarding
claiming travel expenses.
Australia and New Zealand
Date of commencement: Approved by Finance and Risk Management Committee: 25 June 2024
Date of most recent amendment: 1 June 2023
Page 7 of 15
9. Travel Insurance
Travel insurance cover is provided for all Fellows, Trainees and Staff travelling on College business. If
you require assistance regarding any travel insurance matter while overseas, please contact Chubb
Assistance on +61 2 8907 5995 or www.chubbassistance.com/au
and quote policy number 01PP531235.
For details of cover and claims contact TravelAP@racp.edu.au.
10. Emergencies
In the event of a travel emergency, Fellows, Trainees and Staff should contact the College’s TMC. The
College will work with the TMC to ensure all travellers impacted are provided with the appropriate
assistance to return to their home destination.
The TMC will notify travel arrangers, travellers and key contacts to advise of any situation and provide
regular updates and assistance. The TMC will be authorised to accept requests for changes or additional
flights and accommodation if needed to assist travellers to return to their home destination.
Please refer to current TMC’s Crisis Management Process (see Appendix 5).
11. Accompanying Persons
Accompanying persons not on College business is permitted, but they must meet their own costs if prior
approval is not given. The Traveller must arrange the booking independently, outside of the portal.
Reimbursement of travel expenses for accompanying persons (e.g. a nursing child or a carer required to
support the needs of a meeting attendee) will be considered on a case-by-case basis under the following
procedures and guidelines:
•
If the meeting is an approved scheduled meeting and the amount requested is $500 or under, an
application for approval of cost must be made to the relevant Senior Leadership Team (SLT)
member; or
•
If the meeting is an unscheduled meeting and/or the amount requested exceeds $500 then an
application for approval of costs must be submitted to the CEO at least (28) days in advance of
travel.
Reimbursement of reasonable child-minding expenses for accompanying persons e.g.: a babysitter or
nanny of a young child or children up to their 2
nd
birthday (2 years old) for College approved meetings and
events will be granted if approval is sought prior to the member travelling to attend the meeting or event.
The application for approval of cost must be made to the relevant SLT member.
All requests should give an estimate of costs for consideration.
12. Non-College Members
Non-College Members such as Professional Consultants or Independent Subject Matter Experts may be
invited from time to time to participate in College business. This policy applies to any person(s) travelling as
part of a College Body for College business.
Australia and New Zealand
Date of commencement: Approved by Finance and Risk Management Committee: 25 June 2024
Date of most recent amendment: 1 June 2023
Page 8 of 15
13. Divisional Clinical Exams
National Fellow Examiners travelling during the Divisional Clinical exams are subject to the additional
provisions:
Flights
National Examining Panel members flying on flights greater than 3 hours, between back-to-back
examining days, on a single leg of any domestic and trans-Tasman journey may travel business class.
Incidental Expenses
Incidental expenses incurred during travel for the Clinical exams will be charged to the College hotel
account. In relation to alcohol consumption from the mini-bar, travellers are limited to 1 mini-bar bottle per
day.
Approval Delegations
Changes to the original departure and/or return destination location of approved flights for the Clinical
exam can be approved by the Assessments & Selection Unit Manager, and by the Executive General
Manager of Education, Learning and Assessment up to their delegated financial authority.
Travel Guidelines
14. For Fellows, Trainees and College staff in Australia and New Zealand
Locomote (Travel Beyond) is the College’s new TMC. All air travel and hotel accommodation should be
booked through Locomote (Travel Beyond). Locomote will invoice the College for all travel costs incurred
on College business.
If the President or Chair requests to meet prior to the scheduled meeting to discuss management of the
meeting and structure with College staff, accommodation may be provided if requested by the President
and/or Chair.
Where possible, no more than four members of management and the College Board may fly on the same
aircraft at any one time. A serious accident involving several key personnel could impact the College’s
ability to conduct business.
15. Group Bookings 10 PAX and Over
Contact Locomote for Australia or Aotearoa New Zealand on locomote@travelbeyond.com.au for group
bookings of 10 PAX and over.
If staff require the Events team to organise and book group accommodation as part of a large external
function, please contact rosie@travelbeyond.com.au or rhonda@travelbeyond.com.au.
16. Completing online Locomote (Travel Beyond) Travel Request (For College staff only)
The Locomote Travel Portal User Guide can be accessed via Travel Portal User Guide.
The approved online Locomote Travel Request gives Locomote the authority to proceed with the booking.
The online Locomote Travel Request must contain a clear description for the purpose of the meeting and
the General Ledger numerical code for reconciliation by the Finance Department. The General Ledger
code is mandatory, Locomote will be unable to proceed with the booking if the code is not supplied.
Australia and New Zealand
Date of commencement: Approved by Finance and Risk Management Committee: 25 June 2024
Date of most recent amendment: 1 June 2023
Page 9 of 15
The Finance Department will pay the subsequent invoice and allocate the cost to the nominated General
Ledger code. Finance Department staff will check that Locomote has allocated the correct General Ledger
code by checking the name of the person travelling to the nominated committee or meeting.
If you are uncertain about the General Ledger code, please contact the College Finance department
(Finance@racp.edu.au
) and a code will be advised to you. Once a code has been allocated the code
should not change unless the committee is reconstituted. The General Ledger codes can be accessed
via:
Chart of Accounts 2024
17. Make a booking in Australia and New Zealand
Creating a New Profile
A New Profile will need to be completed online. The Locomote Travel Portal User Guide can be accessed
via Travel Portal User Guide
(refer to Page 14 in the Travel Portal User Guide).
Travel Booking Procedures (For College staff only)
The online Locomote Travel Request is to be completed for each and every meeting or travel for which
travel costs will be charged to the College. The online Locomote Travel Requests can only be approved
by a Senior Leadership Team (SLT) member, Honorary Treasurer or the President up to their delegated
financial authority.
Contacting Locomote
The Locomote Travel Management platform is available 24/7.
The standard office operating hours are from 8.30am to 6pm Monday to Friday (excluding public
holidays).
Locomote Portal
Online Chat (during business hours) Locomote support can be contacted during business
hours via our online chat function within the platform.
Please use the chat bubble on the platform to chat
with
one of the team for assistance.
Locomote Support queries Please send all enquiries to support@locomote.com
Travel Beyond Australia
Toll Free Phone Number (24 hrs in Australia) Ph: 1300 239 663
Calling From Overseas: +61 2 9571 5555
Email Address locomote@travelbeyond.com.au
24 Hour Emergency Assistance Australia and
Worldwide
+61 2 9571 5555
Outside of 8.30am – 6pm AEST Mon-Fri calls divert
automatically to Emergency after hours consultants
who can assist with urgent travel requirements.
Australia and New Zealand
Date of commencement: Approved by Finance and Risk Management Committee: 25 June 2024
Date of most recent amendment: 1 June 2023
Page 10 of 15
Travel Beyond Group New Zealand
Phone Number
(09) 303 9252
Phone Number for enquiries outside of NZ
+64 9 303 9252
Email Address
online@travelbeyond.co.nz.au
24 Hour Emergency Assistance New
Zealand and Worldwide
+64 9 303 9252
Outside of 8.30am – 6pm NZT Mon-Fri calls divert
automatically to Emergency after hours consultants
who can assist with urgent travel requirements
.
Response:
Online bookings are confirmed via the portal once a request is submitted and approved.
Offline bookings:
Domestic will be actioned by Travel Beyond Group within one (1) hour of receipt.
International Bookings will be actioned by Travel Beyond Group within three (3) hours of receipt.
These response times do not relate to complex bookings e.g. complex multi sector and international
bookings may take up to 24 hours. Approximate response times for complex bookings will be provided by
your consultant at the time the booking is requested.
Additional information for College staff in Australia and New Zealand:
●
Notify all Fellows that they must register their Traveller Profile with Locomote as outlined OR
register for the Fellows. This is a one-off procedure requiring as a minimum - name, phone, email
and emergency contact details. Locomote cannot accept bookings if the traveller is not "registered"
with this information. Locomote Travel Beyond Reservations Staff cannot enter profile information
over the phone, a Traveller Profile Form must be sent to Locomote before a booking can be made.
●
Staff must complete the mandatory Online Travel Authorisation Request fields within the booking
workflow for each meeting. Locomote will not accept bookings without an approved online Travel
Authorisation Request.
●
Staff must email members advising them that their travel and accommodation has been approved.
●
All flight changes must be done through the Locomote travel management platform.
●
All upgrades to hotels or flights, and any additional flights to attend Non-College business must be
paid by the traveller.
Australia and New Zealand
Date of commencement: Approved by Finance and Risk Management Committee: 25 June 2024
Date of most recent amendment: 1 June 2023
Page 11 of 15
APPENDIX 1 – College Preferred Hotels
COLLEGE PREFERRED HOTELS
Sydney
Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel
27 O’Connell Street, Sydney NSW 2000
The Fullerton
1 Martin Place, Sydney NSW 2000
Intercontinental
117 Macquarie Street, Sydney NSW 2000
Melbourne
Intercontinental
495 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Crowne Plaza
1/5 Spencer Street, Melbourne VIC 3008
Hotel Indigo
575 Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000
Adelaide
Intercontinental
North Terrace, Adelaide SA 5000
Crowne Plaza
27 Frome Street, Adelaide SA 5000
Canberra
Crowne Plaza
1 Binara Street, Canberra ACT 2601
Wellington, New Zealand
Intercontinental
2 Grey Street, Wellington Central, Wellington 6011,
New Zealand
Australia and New Zealand
Date of commencement: Approved by Finance and Risk Management Committee: 25 June 2024
Date of most recent amendment: 1 June 2023
Page 12 of 15
APPENDIX 2 – Claim for Reimbursement of Travelling Expenses Form
Australia and New Zealand
Date of commencement: Approved by Finance and Risk Management Committee: 25 June 2024
Date of most recent amendment: 1 June 2023
Page 13 of 15
APPENDIX 3 – Employee Expense Claim Form
Australia and New Zealand
Date of commencement: Approved by Finance and Risk Management Committee: 25 June 2024
Date of most recent amendment: 1 June 2023
Page 14 of 15
APPENDIX 4 – Vehicle Log Claim Form
Australia and New Zealand
Date of commencement: Approved by Finance and Risk Management Committee: 25 June 2024
Date of most recent amendment: 1 June 2023
Page 15 of 15
APPENDIX 5 – Locomote Crisis Management Process
