The Australian passport is about to become the most expensive in the world, with prices set to skyrocket to almost $400. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Labor Government has announced the second price rise this year, with a total increase of 22.5 per cent since January. Passport prices will increase from the standard $325 at the beginning of the year, to $398 as of July 1, which includes the standard indexation applied in January.
“Adding insult to injury during a cost-of-living crisis, Australians are paying more for their passports under Labor in return for a woefully inefficient service,” Birmingham said. Birmingham said a report released by the Australian National Audit Office on the Australian Passport Office revealed that passport processing was 56 per cent lower than pre-pandemic levels and passports took longer to reach applicants.