What you will be paying from the start of 2025

New Charges

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The price of passports has risen as new 2025 fees and charges kick in.

Douglas Shire residents and visitors will be affected by a raft of changes to Federal Government laws, fees and charges.

The price of buying a 10-year adult passport has risen $14 to $412, but the prices of medicines under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme have been frozen until at least January next year.

Prices for medicines normally rise automatically at the start of each year in line with inflation.

And the price freeze for concession card holders is set to remain in place for five years.

Centrelink payments for Youth Allowance, Austudy, Abstudy and some Disability Support Pensions will rise by more than $20 per fortnight for many recipients.

Aged care workers will receive a payrise, with the increase dependent on what award the worker is on.

And intentionally underpaying an employee has become a criminal offence, meaning the employer can be sent to jail for up to 10 years.

The maximum fine for individuals is now triple the amount of the underpayment, or $1.65m - whichever turns out to be higher - and the maximum fine for a company which deliberately underpays employees is now $8.25 million.

And the new Vehicle Efficiency Standard has also kicked in, with car makers being encouraged to beat carbon dioxide targets through a carbon credit scheme.

Under the new rules, they will have to make up for the less fuel-efficient models they sell by also selling more fuel-efficient ones.

 

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