New financial year, new changes.
From 1 July, Australians can look forward to tax breaks, a rise to the minimum wage for millions of workers, and residents will start to see the energy bill relief announced in the federal budget show up in their quarterly bills.
Here’s what you need to know.
Energy bill relief
More than 10 million households will get a $75 credit on each quarterly bill while small businesses will get an annual credit of $325 .
For those in Queensland and Tasmania, there’s also a bonus on 1 July, with their state governments .
Wage increases
Millions of Australia’s lowest-paid workers will be handed a 3.75 per cent increase in the minimum wage on 1 July, after the workplace umpire handed down its annual wage decision earlier in June.
It means the national minimum wage will increase to $915.90 per week or $24.10 per hour, from $882.80 per week or $23.23 per hour.
Federal politicians will also get a pay rise, with parliamentarians’ salaries growing by 3.5 per cent.
MPs’ base rates will rise from $225,750 to $233,650 — an increase of almost $8,000 a year.
Opposition leader Peter Dutton’s salary will jump by nearly $15,000 — from $417,640 to $432,260 — while Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will take home more than $20,000 extra a year, with his salary rising from $586,950 to $607,490.
Tax cuts for millions
of over $2,000, or more than $40 per week.
The new tax cuts, aimed at “middle Australia” and those facing cost of living pressures, were approved by federal parliament earlier this year.
It won’t come in the form of a lump sum payment. Instead, taxpayers will notice money in their pay packets on an ongoing basis.
Experts say, for example, someone on $60,000 a year will notice a weekly lift in their take-home pay of about $23. Somebody on $120,000 a year will receive something like $52 more per week.
A household with a combined income of around $130,000 where one partner earns $80,000 and the other $50,000, will receive around $50 a week.
To calculate the effective rise in your pay packet, use our interactive tool below.
Superannuation
Another change you’ll notice on your payslip will come in the form of superannuation.
Workers will get more in their retirement savings with the superannuation guarantee rate increasing from 11 per cent to 11.5 per cent.
Make sure to check that your employer is paying you the higher rate.
Centrelink payments
Australians on the age and disability support pension, carers payment, parental payments and family tax benefit payments will be among the millions to receive small increases to Centrelink payments when routine indexation kicks in.
The full list of payments and their new rates are available .
Quick passports
Travellers in urgent need of a passport .
The government will create a new fast-track program to allow passports to be processed in five business days.
It will cost an extra $100 on top of current passport application prices.
Student visa crackdown
The Australian government is making it more difficult for migrants to do what it calls “visa hopping”.
Visitor visa holders and temporary graduate visa holders won’t be able to apply for student visas onshore.
Engineered stone ban
The Australian Border Force will conduct legislated import bans on engineered stone products entering Australia.
This is to support the which will take effect in most jurisdictions from the first of July, with limited exemptions for certain legacy contracts.
