Your responsibilities

If you miss the travel we pre-booked for you, you may get a penalty. Call the ABSTUDY students line if you have any questions.

When travelling you must do all of the following:

• have your itinerary with you at all times
• have photo ID that matches the name on your ticket
• bring any medications you need
• have a contact number for your school, including one for after hours
• dress to meet the travel carrier’s rules, for example, you must wear shoes
• make sure your baggage meets your travel carrier’s weight and size allowances
• follow the travel carrier’s rules at the transport terminal, including getting there early.

You also need to do all of the following:

• do what your supervisor says, if your parent, guardian or school has arranged one for you
• behave as per education institution standards and expectations
• travel at the time booked, unless we’ve approved changes
• travel non-stop during your trip, unless we’ve approved a special circumstance
• stay at the transport terminal when waiting for a connecting trip
• keep tickets, receipts or other proof of extra travel costs that you can claim after the trip.

Changes to travel

If you’re a secondary school student, you need to report any travel changes or delays to your school straight away.

If you’re a secondary student not at a secondary school, or a tertiary student, tell us about any changes. This includes any cancellations, changes or significant delays, for example, an overnight delay. You can do this by calling the ABSTUDY students line.

If you’re younger than 18

You must have a Safe Travel Plan if you’re all of the following:

• a primary or secondary school student
• younger than 18
• asking Centrelink to pre-book your travel.

This is an agreement for how you’ll travel between school and home, made between you, your school and family. We’ll ask you if you have one when you pre-book a trip with us. If you don’t have one, you can’t pre-book travel using the allowance.

Read more about Safe Travel Plans on the Department of Social Services website.