What support will I get?
The total funding awarded an applicant by the PDP (Professional Staff) Committee will depend on the total funds available; the number of applicants (overall and from a given faculty/division) and the perceived merit of a program. The financial assistance given under the professional development program will be in the form of a lump sum payment to be applied towards the total cost of the program.
The PDP (Professional Staff) Committee may fund:
Travel costs
- Airfares – at the most economical fare available through a recognised travel agent.
Where an applicant is taking recreation leave of greater than 50% of the duration of the total time away from QUT, only 50% of the airfare will be awarded.- Travel between program locations – car hire, train or bus between different sites to be visited.
- Local transport – buses, taxis, trains, car hire: whichever is most economical while maintaining a reasonable degree of convenience.
Quotes/estimates for all transport must be included in your application: quotes from web sources are acceptable.
Accommodation/meals
The PDP funds will only cover a portion of the total accommodation/meals costs of your program. PDP contributions are based on ATO recommended daily allowances. QUT bases its rates on the lower of the salary ranges published by the ATO, regardless of the actual salary of the applicant. International allowances used for the calculation of PDP funding may be found on the Workplace Allowances website.
The figure to be used is the Total (Complete Day). For PDP this figure is used to cover both meals and accommodation.
The Workplace Allowances and ATO websites provide details for domestic destinations.
The recommended percentages to be paid by QUT are:
- 20% of the ATO allowance for the first 60 days
- 16% of the ATO allowance for the next 60 days
- 10% of the ATO allowance for the third 60 days
- 5% of the ATO allowance for all subsequent days.
A minimum rate of $38/day is used for domestic and overseas destinations for the first 60 days.
You need to secure funding for the remaining costs of accommodation/meals from your local area or other source.
An example of the PDP (Professional Staff) Committee funding calculation is given below. You may also use the PDL Calculator to calculate the funding you may receive from the Committee.
Conference/training fees
Conference and training fees may be paid if you are currently employed at HEW6 or below. Justification of why the local area cannot pay these fees must be included with your application.
Applicants seeking support for training should initially establish whether the course in question is eligible for support through study assistance [link to study assistance page]. Normally, no more than 50% of fees for training courses not covered by study assistance will be reimbursed through the Professional Development Program (Professional Staff).
‘Backfilling’ of the applicant’s position
As with the payment of conference and training fees, a contribution towards the cost of backfilling of your position during your PDP leave may only be paid if you are currently employed at HEW6 or below. The PDP Committee will not pay the full amount of this cost.
The PDP Committee will not fund any costs associated with dependent travel or child care.
Example funding calculation
Conference in Sydney
Attendance at conference in Sydney: applicant currently employed at HEW 5. Duration of the program: 5 days (including travel to and from Brisbane)
Total cost of program
| Airfares | 290 |
| Other travel: Taxis | 100 |
| Accommodation/meals | 761 |
| Conference fees | 850 |
| Total | $2061 |
PDP (Professional Staff) Committee funding
| Airfares | 290 |
| Other travel: Taxis | 100 |
| Accommodation/meals* | 250 |
| Conference fees** | 850 |
| Total | $1490 |
PDP contribution $1490 Other contribution required $571
*ATO allowance for Sydney is $250 per day.
$250 x 20% = $50 x 5 days = $250
Conference in England plus site visits in France and Germany
Attendance at conference in England (6 days, including travel from Australia) and site visits in France (4 days) and Germany (8 days, including return travel to Australia): applicant currently employed at HEW 9. Duration of the program: 18 days (including travel to and from Brisbane)
Total cost of program
| Airfares | 3262 |
| Eurail Pass and Taxis | 625 |
| Accommodation/meals | 2594 |
| Conference fees | 1400 |
| Total | $7881 |
PDP (Professional Staff) Committee funding
| Airfares | 3262 |
| Eurail Pass and Taxis | 625 |
| Accommodation/meals* | 772 |
| Conference fees** | - |
| Total | $4659 |
PDP contribution $4659 Local area contribution $3222
* ATO allowance for UK is $250 per day.
$250 x 20% = $50 x 6 days = $300
ATO allowance for France is $165 per day
$165 x 20% = $33. PDP provides minimum of $38 per day
$38 x 4 = $152
ATO allowance for Germany is $200 per day
$200 x 20% = $40 x 8 days = $320
Total $772
** Conference fees not paid for applicants currently employed at HEW 7 or above.