I'm a hospital-based doctor employed on a 9-month fixed-term contract at a hospital in Brisbane. My permanent family home is on the Gold Coast, where my wife and family live and where I continued paying rent throughout the entire period.
Because my role requires mandatory on-site presence (including after-hours and on-call), I had no choice but to rent a separate apartment in Brisbane close to the hospital. I paid both rentals entirely out of pocket — no LAFHA or employer reimbursement. On weekends and days off I returned to the Gold Coast to be with my family.
At the end of the contract I returned to the Gold Coast permanently.
Can I claim the Brisbane rental as a work-related deduction? And does the 9-month duration affect whether the ATO treats this as "travelling on work" (deductible) vs "living away from home" (not deductible)?