Changes to Australian laws and government payments taking effect on January 1

Changes taking effect on January 1, 2025 include an increase in welfare payments for more than one million Australians, passport fee cost will go up to $412 and intentional underpayment of wages by employers will become a criminal offence. Credit: SBS News, Getty Images/Laura Reid and William West

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From welfare payments and price increases to new laws and regulations, find out about some of the biggest changes that will begin to take effect on January 1, 2025.

Key Points

Effective January 1, 2025, wage theft or intentional underpayment of employees' wages will officially be a crime. Penalties include up to 10 years in prison and a $1.565 million fine for individuals and $7.825 million for companies that violate the law.
Over one million Australians will benefit from the welfare payments increase. The increase includes income support and supplementary payments, including Youth Allowance, Austudy, Youth Disability Support Pension and Carer Allowance.
The cost of a 10-year passport for people over 18 years old and older will increase from $398 to $412 starting January 1.

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