The new year brings new laws, taxes and charges.
From Medicare increases to free preschool, these are the things changing from 1 January 2024.
Centrelink payment increases
More than 930,000 Australians will see their Centrelink payments increase by $20 a week, or a 6% rise.
Youth allowance payments will rise by between $19.10 and $41.40 a fortnight, while Austudy payments will go up by between $32.40 and $41.40 a fortnight.
The disability support pension for people aged 21 and under, and without children, will see their payments increase by between $27.40 and $40.70 a fortnight.
Other payments that will increase include Abstudy, isolated children assistance, mobility allowance, double orphan pension, carer allowance and pharmaceutical allowance.
Medicare safety net thresholds increasing
The thresholds for Medicare safety nets will rise, which means an increase in the amount people have to spend on out-of-hospital medical expenses before qualifying for a higher rebate.
The increase is in line with indexation based on inflation and will go up to $560.40 on the original Medicare safety net for concessional and non-concessional individuals and families.
The extended Medicare safety net will increase to $811.80 for concessional individuals and families and $2,544.30 for non-concessional.
Disposable vapes
The importation of all disposable vapes containing nicotine will be banned from 1 January under the “toughest laws” in the world.
The government will outlaw the importation of non-prescription vaping products in the biggest smoking reforms in a decade.
The only vapes legally allowed into Australia will be pharmaceutical products prescribed by a doctor and dispensed through a pharmacy to help people quit.
New measures will also see packaging and flavours used for pharmaceutical vapes severely limited, and potentially extend laws banning workplace smoking to vaping.
Pass rate changes
The “50% pass rule” introduced at universities will come to an end, with a “support for students” policy replacing it.
The 50% pass rule meant students had to pass 50% of their units in their course to receive federal assistance but, under the new rules, students can seek help if they are struggling to pass.
Working seniors
Working seniors and veterans will be able to earn more income before their pension payments are affected from 1 January.
The federal government is permanently increasing the Work Bonus limit by $4,000 – from $7,800 to $11,800. Single pensioners can earn $204 a fortnight and couples can earn $360 before it is counted under the pension income test.
There’s also added a $300 per fortnight Work Bonus, which increases the amount pensioners can earn. This means a single age pensioner could earn up to $504 a fortnight and still receive the maximum rate of pension.
Toll relief in NSW
In New South Wales, those who spend more than $60 a week on tolls will get the remainder back.
Rebates max out at $340 a week and motorists can start accruing claims from 1 January.
Active and Creative Kids voucher in NSW
Families receiving the family tax benefit A or B will be eligible for two $50 vouchers for activities.
End of EV rebates in NSW and SA
Electric vehicles will no longer come with a $3,000 rebate in NSW and the stamp duty exemption for zero and low-emission vehicles also ends on 1 January.
In South Australia, the government’s $3,000 rebate will also finish on 1 January.
People who have bought a car, or made a deposit, but have not yet had it delivered will still be eligible to receive the rebate.
Gas banned in Victoria
In a momentous shift, all new homes in Victoria will need to connect to all electric networks, phasing out gas connections.
Increased land tax in Victoria
The Victorian government has also introduced a temporary land tax surcharge for the next 10 years.
This means there will be a new $500 surcharge for landholdings that are valued between $50,000 and $100,000.
For land valued between $100,000 and $300,000, the surcharge will be $975, and landholdings valued over $300,00 will be charged $975 plus 0.1% of the taxable value.
Family homes remain exempt from the land tax, while there is also an increased penalty for land that is left vacant for longer than a year.
Phones banned in SA high schools
Mobile phones will be banned in public high schools across the state.
Students will have to leave their phones at home or hand them over to be locked away when they arrive.
South Australia’s rule follows Victoria, Western Australia and the Northern Territory.
Free preschool in Queensland
Queensland’s kindy, which is the year before school starts, will be free across the state.
That means the government-approved program, which amounts to 15 hours a week, 40 weeks a year, will be free of charge.
Vouchers in Queensland
The next round of the $150 FairPlay vouchers opens from 24 January and can be used towards sport and active recreation programs.
Free preschool in ACT
Preschool for three-year-olds will be made free across the territory.
The program, delivered by select providers, amounts to 300 hours a year.
Learn to swim in NT
The next round of the NT’s $100 Learn to Swim vouchers will be available from 1 January.
The government provides two rounds of the voucher (in January and July) for children under five and not enrolled in school.
• This article was amended on 1 January 2024 to remove an incorrect reference to prescriptions under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme becoming cheaper.
