The New Laws Coming Into Play On January 1

With the ticking over into a new year, January brings with it a slate of new laws both nation-wide and state specific including initiatives aimed at cutting the cost of living, broader health support, and the very recently passed laws in NSW around gun control and protest laws.

Welfare payments indexed

Australians on a number of social security payments will see an increase to their allowances, although it’s nothing to get too excited about, it’s just part of regular indexation changes. Youth allowance will go up by $17.60 per fortnight, while Austudy will increase by $13.90 per fortnight, and the carer allowance will increase by $3.30 a fortnight.

Income thresholds for student payments and  the parental income test threshold for Youth Allowance and Abstudy will also be raised.

Cash is king

Grocery stores and petrol station will be required to accept cash, with a new mandate from January 1 dictating that cash must be accepted for transactions of $500 or less between the hours of 7am to 9pm. However, exemptions exist for small businesses with a turnover of less than $10m.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers said that the change would help Australians who relied on physical currency- such as those who were older- wouldn’t be left behind.

Cheaper medicines and expanded health programs

The maximum cost of medicines on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme will be lowered for everyone with a Medicare card, dropping from $31.60 to $25 per script, almost a fifth of out-of-pocket costs. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has claimed the changes will see Australians saving more than $200m per year.

The cost for pensioners and those on concession cards will remain at $7.70 until 2030.

“Australians shouldn’t have to worry about whether they can afford to fill a script,” Albanese has said.

A new telehealth hotline, 1800MEDICARE, is also set to be launched as part of Labor’s election pledges, replacing the current Healthdirect service. The 24-hour service will connect patients with GPs, hospitals, and urgent care clinics.

Early January will also see the launch of a Medicare mental health check-in service, run by St Vincent’s Health. The online portal will help provide early support for those experiencing mild mental health issues.

NSW-specific changes

The last month has seen a number of legislation changes across New South Wales, with the government rushing through new rules when it comes to gun control, hate speech, and protest laws. These include limits on the number of firearms gun owners are permitted to have, with four for recreational uses and 10 for commercial uses, including pest control and farming.

Although it came into effect on December 24, a law allowing the police commissioner to restrict protests after terror incidents will see the 14-day declaration against the approval of protests extend into the new year, and possibly until the end of March, clashing with long-held Invasion Day protests on the 26th. Civil rights groups Palestine Action Group, Jews Against Occupation ‘48 and Blak Caucus all announced they will be formally challenging the legislation in court.

Aside from that, the weekly toll cap of $60 will be permanently extended after it was set to expire at the end of 2025, but toll users will also be seeing quarterly rises.

Property developers will also be able to claim a tax cut allowing them to claim a 50 per cent reduction in land value from 2026 for eligible build-to-rent properties, although new developments in the City of Sydney will be required to install electric cookers and heaters under the council’s new “gas ban“.