Major change to Aussie passports coming within days
Time is running out for Australians to renew or apply for their passports before another price increase comes into effect on January 1.
The latest increase, which has been dismissed as a “backdoor tax grab”, will make a standard Australian passport with a ten-year term the most expensive in the world at $412.
The $14 increase, which takes effect this Wednesday, follows a previous 15 percent increase just six months ago.
Passport fees have increased by a total of $104 since the Albanian government came to power in May 2022.
The cost of a five-year passport for children and seniors over 75 will also increase on January 1 from $201 to $208.
If you lose your passport, the cost to replace it increases from $250 to $259.
Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham branded the latest increase as an “excessive revenue boost”, which will increase the cost of traveling abroad and increase the cost of living.
He also accused the Labor government of ‘ringing in the new year with another tax coup’.
Australians have just two days to renew their passports before a second price increase in six months comes into effect on January 1. Travelers at Sydney Airport are pictured
‘Many Australians are scrimping and saving to get a special holiday to Bali or… Fiji“, only to discover that the cost of a passport is comparable to the cost of a plane ticket,” Senator Birmingham said on Sunday.
“Under Labor, Australians are paying record amounts for the privilege of a passport, which should be a basic right, not an expensive luxury.
“What the Albanian government labeled as a ‘modest’ increase in passport fees can now clearly be seen as the backdoor of tax robbery.”
It is estimated that the latest increase on July 1 will result in $924.5 million in revenue, more than half of which ($529 million) will be profit for the federal government.
“Instead of responsible cost recovery, the Albanian government is engaging in gross profiteering by inflating passport costs, thereby charging significantly more than the cost of production,” Senator Birmingham added.
“This exaggerated revenue increase based on a government-issued document is just another demonstration of how Australians are being forced to pay for Labor’s out-of-control spending.”
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade defended the price increase and said NewsCorp that annual indexation was a legal requirement.
“The Australian passport is internationally respected as a high-quality travel document,” they said.
‘It has a high level of technological sophistication, backed by rigorous anti-fraud measures, which ensure its integrity. This is a key reason why Australian passport holders receive visa-free access to more than 180 countries.”
It’s just one of many changes coming into effect on January 1.
A young woman is pictured holding her Australian passport, now the most expensive in the world
Despite being the most expensive in the world, a young woman recently exposed flaws in her new Australian passport, which she described as ‘flimsy’ and low quality.
Natalie Vellozzi, 28, posted a video on social media comparing her old and new passports and accusing the government of skimping on quality.
“The quality absolutely does not match the price of this passport,” she said.
After the Sydney woman placed both passports side by side, the difference was immediately visible, with the cover of the new one bent upwards.
Natalie Vellozzi, 28, (pictured) compared her new passport (left) with her old one (right) and found the new model ‘thin’
‘This is my old passport that I have had for ten years. It is definitely better quality,” Ms Vellozzi said.
‘This new one looks like it was literally printed at Officeworks. I’ve had it for a day now and it’s already warping, it’s already bending.’
But DFAT trumpeted the new R-series Passport at its 2023 launch, boasting that it was made in Australia.
“The next-generation passport is packed with advanced security features designed to keep Australians’ identities safe,” a spokesperson said.
But since its release, questions have been raised about the quality of the expensive document.
“Maybe the material they use is different,” Ms. Vellozzi said.
‘But as soon as I got it, I noticed it was already bending and bending over.
“When they made it and tied it together, they didn’t put enough weight on it to flatten it properly.”
“In the previous passport it was laminated paper and now I feel like it’s going to break.”
According to the 2024 Henley Passport Index, Australian passports are ranked as the fifth most powerful internationally.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted DFAT for further comment.