Welfare payments, wage theft laws to change in new year

MAJOR CHANGES TO PAYMENTS AND REGULATIONS AFFECTING AUSTRALIANS IN 2025:

* Wage theft laws will come into effect, meaning employers who underpay workers will be committing a criminal offence

* More than one million Australians will see government payments increase, including youth allowance, ABSTUDY and carer allowance recipients

* Aged care workers will receive a bump to their wages, with minimum pay rates increasing for direct care workers, general care workers and aged care employees

* New vehicle efficiency standards come into effect, resulting in an anticipated 61 per cent reduction in passenger car emissions by 2029

* Medicare safety net thresholds will increase in line with inflation, meaning patients will have to spend more on out-of-hospital medical services before accessing a higher rebate level

* Another step to rid workplaces of silicosis with a ban on importations of engineered stone benchtops coming into effect

* Existing time limits will be removed for temporary medical incapacity exemptions from mutual obligation requirements, meaning welfare recipients won’t be denied payments because they are too sick

* Another 100,000 fee-free TAFE places and 8600 fee-free uni ready places will be made available

* A freeze on PBS co-payments means medicines will stay the same instead of rising with inflation for the first time in more than 25 years

* Most private health insurance funds will reset members’ annual extras limits

Jacob Shteyman
(Australian Associated Press)