New laws on January 1, 2022, across Australia: What they will cost and how they affect you

Australians have just started to travel overseas again — and they will be hit with higher passport prices. But that’s not all. See how much extra you’ll get charged.

Australians have just started to travel overseas again — and they will be hit with higher passport prices as new laws come into force.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed to News Corp passport fees will rise annually on January 1 at the rate of inflation, making a 10-year passport for people 16 and over will cost $308, compared to $301 last year.

A five-year passport for children under 16 or 75 and over will cost $3 extra at $155. Emergency and replacement passports will cost $4 more at $193. The priority processing fee will rise by $5 to $225.

The overseas surcharge for adult applicants will be $138, compared to $135, and the surcharge for child applicants will rise by $1 to $67.

Police talk to passengers at the Histopath pre-departure Covid testing clinic at Sydney International airport. Picture: Getty

ROAD TOLLS – WHAT IT WILL COST YOU

Those travelling and holidaying on our roads will also face road toll price hikes.

In NSW, the WestConnex M4 will slug drivers with a $8.87 toll. Trucks will be charged $26.61.

The WestConnex M8 will have a maximum toll of $7.52 for cars and $22.56 for trucks.

The M5 South-West Motorway rises from $4.94 to $4.97 and M5 East will cost $7.52. Trucks will pay $22.56.

The NorthConnex tolls will cost $8.44 for cars and $25.33 for trucks.

Cars using the Hills M2 main plaza will pay nine cents more at $8.45. The Lane Cove Tunnel will rise by 3 cents to $3.52.

The Cross City Tunnel’s Eastbound and Westbound tolls rise by five cents to $6.06 for cars, and 10 cents for trucks to $12.12. The Eastern Distributor will rise 10 cents to $8.56.

The M8 West Connex Motorway in Sydney. Picture: Daily Telegraph/ Gaye Gerard

In Victoria, tolls for the full length of Melbourne’s CityLink will increase by 11 cents to $10.48 on January 1 for cars.

The CityLink in Melbourne will see a toll rise. Picture: David Caird

A trip across the Bolte Bridge from the airport will increase 7 cents to $9.07, the Burnley Tunnel from the West Gate also goes up by 7 cents to $6.22 and a trip from Flemington Road to the airport will rise 2 cents to $2.79.

EastLink tolls of $6.53 for the full trip and $3.00 for the tunnel only remain fixed for cars until June 30.

Traffic on the Airport link at Bowen Hills in Qld. Picture: Annette Dew

In Queensland, the AirportLinkM7, which runs between Bowen Hills, Stafford and Nundah, will have its price adjusted.

A journey in a class two vehicle, or car, will increase on the AirportLinkM7 from Brown Hills to Kedron or Toombul by 3.85 per cent from $5.70 to $5.92. Those travelling from Kedron to Toombul will pay $4.43, up from $4.27.

MEDICARE AND PBS CHANGES

Under Medicare, telehealth services will continue, in a reworked format. A new extended telephone consultation item for 20 minutes or longer for patients in rural and remote communities will be introduced.

On the PBS, Forxiga will be listed to treat symptomatic heart failure.

Australian Medicare changes are coming.

It will now cost $42.50 per script or $6.80 with a concession card instead of more than $630 a year.

Braftovi, a breakthrough medication to treat bowel cancer that usually costs $33,000 a year, will also be available to 340 patients for about $80 a script.

WELFARE CHANGES

For older Australians, the Pension Loans Scheme interest rate will be cut to 3.95 per cent a year. Fortnightly payments will be affected. It also will be renamed as the Home Equity Access Scheme.

The Widow and Partner Allowance is ending on January 1 and recipients can transfer to the Age Pension.

The Disability Pension will be renamed ‘Disability Compensation Payment’ to reflect it is not an income support pension. The disability income rent test, which results in severely disabled veterans unfairly receiving less rent assistance, will also be axed.

A woman talks to a staff member at Centrelink in South Melbourne. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty

Those receiving disability support payments who are temporarily overseas due to Covid-19 must notify Services Australia or their payment could be reduced from January 1.

Youth, student and carer allowances will get a 3.5 per cent increase each fortnight. The Youth Allowance will increase by $17.90 to $537.40. For those aged 18 or over living at home it will rise by $12.40 to $371.60. The parental income threshold for Youth Allowance will also increase by $511 to $56,137 a year.

Older students on Austudy will get an increase of $17.90 to $537.40 and singles with children will get an increase of $23 to $688.20. The Carer Allowance will increase by $4.60 to $136.50. A child could also get a one-off $3000 Tertiary Access Payment if they move from an inner regional area for study.

CHILDCARE PAY RISE

In childcare, educators in preschools and long daycare will get a pay rise from 3.3 per cent to 13.6 per cent. Senior or “highly accomplished” teachers will earn a minimum of $85,688 in long-daycare centres and graduate teachers a minimum of $61,927, with curriculum managers paid an $3845 allowance a year on top.

Teachers and toddlers in daycare. Picture: iStock

IMMIGRATION

Under immigration, the Government will extend Visa Application Charge waivers by a further six-months for new Visitor visa applicants overseas where their visa expired, or will expire, between January 1 and 30 June 2022.

FREE TRADE

The largest regional free trade agreement outside the World Trade Organisation involving 10 ASEAN countries and five non-ASEAN countries including China, New Zealand, Australia, Japan and South Korea will also come into force.

ENERGY PRICES

In Victoria, electricity rate tariffs are changing for homeowners and small businesses based on the change to Victorian Default Offer. The average bill for residential customers in 2021 under the default offer was $1412. For 2022 it will be $1342. For small business it will be $5350, down from last year which was $5686. This represents a saving of 5 per cent for residential customers and 6 per cent for businesses.

MENTAL HEALTH LEVY

A new mental health and wellbeing levy will become a payroll tax surcharge on wages paid in Victoria by businesses with national payrolls exceeding $10 million each financial year.

Victoria’s property taxes arec changing.

VICTORIAN PROPERTY TAXES

In Victoria, private gender-exclusive clubs will not get a land tax concession reserved for charities, clubs and associations.

The land tax rate will also rise by 0.25 percentage points for landholdings exceeding $1.8 million and 0.30 percentage points for landholdings exceeding $3 million.

Trust surcharge land tax rates will increase for landholdings exceeding $1.8 million.

For landholdings exceeding $3 million, the current rate of 2.25 per cent will be increased by 0.30 percentage points to 2.55 per cent.

For foreign owned property, the maximum rate of land tax will increase to 4.55 per cent. The tax-free threshold for general land tax rates will increase from $250,000 to $300,000. There is no change to the tax-free threshold for land held on trust ($25,000).

The vacant residential land tax exemption for new developments will also be extended to apply for up to two years.

GENDER QUOTA

An Australian-first mandatory gender quota for new government construction projects worth more than $20 million or more also comes into effect to encourage women to enter the industry.

QLD INFRASTRUCTURE CHARGES

In Queensland, infrastructure charge increases will only be applicable to development applications decided after January 1. It is to make sure developers contribute to their use of community networks such as water supply and roads.

Queensland landlords must also install interconnected smoke alarms in residential rental properties. All other dwellings must transition by 2027.

NEW DOG COLLARS FOR QLD DOGS

All regulated dogs in Queensland must also wear a collar that has red and yellow angled reflective stripes. This is to alert people to restricted breeds, declared dangerous dogs and declared menacing dogs.

NSW MODERN SLAVERY LAW

NSW is now the first State or Territory in Australia to have legislation against modern slavery. Government agencies and local councils will be required to take reasonable steps to ensure that the goods and services they procure are not the product of modern slavery.

SA TO FINE CAT OWNERS

In SA, Adelaide Hills residents will face fines if their cats stray from home from January 1 under strict 24-hour cat bylaws. Cat owners will be fined $187.50 if their pets are found wandering outside.

Originally published as New laws on January 1, 2022, across Australia: What they will cost and how they affect you