New charge for every Aussie going overseas as Jim Chalmers outlines his cost-saving mission
Australians will soon be slugged with an $80 exit fee when they leave the country under new measures announced in the Federal Budget.
The fee is applied to all passengers departing by air or sea from Australia, regardless of whether they are citizens or non-citizens intending to return.
The passenger movement charge will be increased by $10, from $70 to $80, from January 1, 2027.
However its understood passengers who have already purchased a ticket will benefit from a six-month transition arrangement.
The Albanese Government expects the fee will save a total of $755million over the next five years.
It comes as aviation industry experts say they expect airlines will pass on the extra $10 in the form of increased airfares.
Tourism and Transport Forum chief executive Margy Osmond described the changes as ‘literally outrageous.’
‘You’re looking at an environment where the tourism industry is wearing an impossibly uncertain global aviation marketplace,’ Osmond said.
Australians will be slugged with an $80 exit fee when they fly out of the country under new measures announced in the Federal Budget
Jim Chalmers’s fifth budget contained a raft of new measures including the departure tax
‘You’ve got a decimated domestic driving market, which would have been the fallback for a lot of operators, because of the fuel situation [that is making driving holidays less attractive].’
Osmond added: ‘There is absolutely no need to increase this charge. All of the money would just go to consolidated revenue.’
It comes as Qantas has warned surging jet fuel prices could raise costs by $800million in the second half of 2026.
The national carrier has also slashed its domestic capacity.
More to come.
