Need a new passport? As of last Monday it’s going to cost you $52 more. It has been the practice of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) to increase the passport fee on January 1 each year, in line with the inflation rate. This year, as well as hiking the cost by $21 on January 1, 2024, the government hiked the cost of a 10-year passport to $398 as of July 1.
What cost $325 in 2023 will then cost $73 more, an increase of 22 per cent. According to Treasurer Jim Chalmers, “This one-off increase is all about making sure that we can resource our passport systems and make them modern and fit for purpose.” Australia’s passport is one of the world’s most expensive.
A 10-year British passport costs £100 ($193) for online applications. The US version is $US130 ($195). A 10-year Canadian passport costs $CAN260 ($284), and there hasn’t been a price increase since 2018.
In the 2022-23 financial year, Australia’s Passport Office issued over 3.1 million passports. If the same number are issued in the coming 2024-25 financial year, that will tip $1.
23 billion into government coffers. The Passport Office claims the current R Series – “combines visual elements and advanced technologies to make it one of the world’s most secure and beautiful travel documents.” Are we to believe that a US or British passport, which cost $200 less than our own, or the Singapore Passport, which costs just $S80 ($89) are less secure than our own? In an audit published in Februa.
