Australians will soon be paying more for their travel documents as the government gets creative on how to claw back the increased cost of producing passports.
The Australian passport is already one of the most expensive in the world but will go up in price twice in 2024.
The cost will be indexed to the consumer price index on New Year’s Day, as it is every year, and from July 1 next year fees are set to increase a further 15 per cent.
An adult passport currently costs $325 over 10 years.
It’s expected the second increase will add an additional $50 to the price – on top of the additional cost applied on January 1.
To compare the cost, New Zealanders pay NZD$206 for their passports.
But the government argues the cost is well worth it over the decade, costing the average Australian less than $40 per year – even with the increase.
The increase was buried within the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook released on Wednesday.
The government claimed the July 1 increase, set to raise $349m over three years, is a “one off” with Treasurer Jim Chalmers describing it as “a relatively modest change”.
“The funds from this one-off are all about making sure we can resource our passport system to make them modern, and fit for purpose. Especially at a time where there are ongoing threats to people’s security and their identity,” he told reporters in Canberra.
A government spokesman confirmed the additional revenue collected through the increase would go towards covering the rising cost of producing a passport.
But MYEO claimed the funds raised from the measure would be “redirected to support priorities in the Foreign Affairs and Trade portfolio”.