Emergency travel

Help for secondary and tertiary ABSTUDY students who need to travel during an emergency.

ABSTUDY students who live away from home to study and those on an Away from Base activity are both eligible.

To get help for travel when you’re impacted by an emergency or disaster, you must be either getting:

Emergencies and disasters are serious and potentially dangerous conditions or events that need immediate action. They include any of the following:

  • federal, state or local government declared emergencies
  • natural disasters
  • major accidents
  • pandemic lockdowns
  • fires
  • cyclones
  • floods.

You can get the allowance if you get ABSTUDY and you’re any of the following:

  • secondary school student
  • tertiary student
  • secondary student not at a secondary school, for example, studying year 11 or 12 at a TAFE.

You can get the allowance for trips to:

  • return to your home
  • return to your place of study
  • travel to an alternative safe location.

A dependent traveller, supervisor or travelling companion can also get it if they travel with you. This includes if they need to travel alone to meet you or after they take you to your destination.

Page last updated: 21 June 2022.
QC 61928