Time is running out for Aussies to renew or apply for a passport before yet another price hike comes into effect on January 1.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The latest increase, which has been slammed as a ‘backdoor tax grab’ will make a standard 10-year Australian passport the most expensive in the world at\u00a0$412.<\/p>\n
The $14 increase, which comes into effect this Wednesday follows\u00a0a previous rise of 15 per cent just six months ago.<\/p>\n
Passport fees have risen by a cumulative $104 since the Albanese government for elected to power in May 2022.<\/p>\n
The cost for a five year passport for children and seniors aged over-75, will also go up from $201 to $208 on January 1.<\/p>\n
If you lose your passport, the cost of a\u00a0replacement will rise from $250 to $259.<\/u><\/p>\n
Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham\u00a0branded the latest hike is ‘over the top revenue raising’ that will increase the cost of an overseas trip and add to the cost of living crisis.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He also accused the Labor government is ‘ringing in the new year with another tax grab’.<\/b><\/p>\n
Australians have just two days to renew their passport before a second price hike within six months is enforced on January 1. Travellers at Sydney Airport is pictured<\/p>\n
‘Many Australians scrimp and save to afford a special holiday to Bali or Fiji, only to find the cost of a passport is similar to the cost of an airfare,’ Senator Birmingham said on Sunday.<\/p>\n
‘Under Labor, Australians are paying record sums for the privilege of a passport that should be a basic entitlement, not an expensive luxury.<\/p>\n
‘What the Albanese government labelled as a ‘modest’ increase to passport fees can now clearly be seen for the backdoor tax grab that is it.’<\/p>\n
It’s estimated that the last rise on July 1 will result in $924.5million in revenue, with\u00a0 more than half ($529million) being profit to the federal government.\u00a0<\/p>\n
‘Rather than responsible cost recovery, the Albanese government is engaging in gross profiteering through the pushing up of passport fees, charging significantly more than the cost of production,’ Senator Birmingham added.<\/p>\n
‘This over the top revenue raising on a government issued document is just another demonstration of how Australians are being made to pay for Labor’s out of control spending.’<\/p>\n
A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson defended the price hike, telling NewsCorp that annual indexation was a legislative requirement.<\/p>\n
‘The Australian passport is respected internationally as a high-quality travel document,’ they said.<\/p>\n
‘It has a high level of technological sophistication, backed by rigorous anti-fraud measures, which ensures its integrity. This is a key reason why Australian passport holders receive visa-free access to over 180 countries.’<\/p>\n
It’s just one of a raft of changes set to come into effect on January 1.<\/strong><\/u><\/p>\n A young woman is pictured holding her Australian passport, which is now the most expensive in the world<\/p>\n Be the first to commentBe one of the first to commentComments<\/b><\/p>\n What you do you think of the latest passport fee hike?<\/u><\/i><\/p>\n Comment now<\/i><\/u><\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n Centrelink student boost, bans on plastic straws and gas rules: All the changes coming on January 1<\/u><\/p>\n Despite it being the most expensive in the world, a\u00a0young woman recently exposed flaws in her new Australian passport, describing it as ‘flimsy’ and low quality.<\/p>\n Natalie Vellozzi, 28, posted a video to social media where she compared her old and new passports and accused the government of skimping on quality.<\/p>\n ‘The quality definitely does not match the price of this passport,’ she said.<\/strong><\/u><\/p>\n After the Sydney woman put both passports next to each other, the difference could be seen straight away, with the new one’s cover curving upwards.<\/p>\n Natalie Vellozzi, 28, (pictured) compared her new passport (left) with her old one (right) and found the new model ‘flimsy’<\/p>\n ‘This is my old passport I have had for 10 years. It is definitely better quality,’ Ms Vellozzi said.<\/p>\n ‘This new one looks like it was literally printed at Officeworks. I’ve had it for one day and it is already warping, it’s already bending.’<\/p>\n But DFAT trumpeted the new R series passport upon its launch in 2023, boasting it was manufactured in Australia.<\/p>\n ‘The next-generation passport is packed with advanced security features designed to keep Australians’ identities safe,’ a spokesperson said.<\/p>\n But since its release, questions have been raised about the expensive document’s quality.\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n ‘Maybe the material they’re using is different,’ Ms Vellozzi said.<\/b><\/p>\n ‘But I just noticed as soon as I got it, it was already curling and bending over.<\/b><\/p>\n ‘When they made it and bound it together, they’re not putting enough weight on it to flatten it properly.’<\/p>\n ‘In the previous passport it was laminated paper and now I just feel it will snap.’<\/b><\/u><\/p>\n Australian passports are ranked as the fifth most powerful internationally, according to the 2024 Henley Passport Index.<\/p>\n Daily Mail Australia has contacted DFAT for further comment.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n