Welfare payments, wage theft laws to change in new year

01 Jan 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)