A raft of changes affecting Australians came into effect on Jan. 1, 2018. From welfare, health, schools, and funding to tax, here are some of the new changes that may affect you and your family across Australia.
Government Pensions and Allowances
- A suite of measures were introduced in the 2017 budget to prevent welfare benefits from being used to fund drug and alcohol addictions. Up to 5000 new recipients of the Newstart and Youth Allowances in the local area of Logan in Queensland will be part of a two year drug testing trial. The government has set aside AU$10 million to assist any recipients who have tested positive for drugs.- Students receiving youth allowance will see an increase in their fortnightly payments by at least $4.60 and an increase of $8.30 for student income payments such as Austudy. The disability support payments will increase by at least $7.
