EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
STATUTORY RULES 1983 NO.297
PUBLIC SERVICE REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT)
Issued with the authority of the Public Service Board
Sub-section 97(1) of the Public Service Act 1922 (‘the Act’) provides that the Public Service Board may, with the approval of the Governor-General, make regulations prescribing all matters which are required or permitted to be prescribed or which are necessary or convenient to be prescribed, for carrying out or giving effect to the Act.
The statutory rules repeal regulation 91 of the Public Service Regulations and substitute new regulations 91-97, which deal with the partial reimbursement of fares and the payment of motor vehicle allowance to Meat Inspectors, Fruit Inspectors and Veterinary Officers (‘relevant officers’) in connection with travel to and from their duties.
The present regulation 91 provides for partial reimbursement of fares to Meat Inspectors only, for travel to and from duty
(a) within metropolitan areas - any excess beyond the fares necessary to travel between home and the departmental headquarters in the relevant capital; and
(b) outside metropolitan areas - any excess beyond 70 cents per week (daily fares) or $3.00 per month (monthly fares).
Apart from the fact that the monetary amounts in (b) require updating, the provisions require significant amendment to provide for payment to a broader group of officers as mentioned above, for payment of motor vehicle allowance, and for other changes as described below, which reflect administrative practices which have developed.
The regulations come into operation on 4 December 1983.
New regulation 91 is an interpretative provision which defines the designations of officers to be covered and excludes taxis from the meaning of ‘public transport’.
Regulations 92 - 94 provide for the partial reimbursement of fares for travel to and from work -
(a) within metropolitan areas - on the same basis as under the present regulation 91; and
(b) in any other case - reimbursement beyond the first 3 cents of fares per kilometre.
Reimbursement is not available for round trips of less than 1.6 km or for travel beyond 32 km on a round trip; and is available for second or subsequent trips on the same day only if such a trip takes place between a period of ordinary duty and a period of extra duty.
Regulations 95 and 96 provide payment of an allowance to a relevant officer for use of a motor vehicle for travel to and from work, if public transport is not available. The amount paid varies directly with the number of kilometres travelled and the engine capacity of the vehicle. A higher rate is paid for second or subsequent trips occurring between ordinary and extra duty.
Regulation 97 covers the situation where a relevant officer travels by private motor vehicle from home to a place of temporary duty. An allowance is payable on the same basis as in regulations 95 and 96, but at a higher rate. However, the amount paid cannot exceed the amount the officer would have received in travelling allowance if he had stayed overnight at his place of temporary duty.