Heading to Italy or France? Get ready to pay a new $35 fee
Australians will need to pay €20 ($35.44) per application to visit the bloc of 30 EU states in the Schengen visa-free travel zone, once the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (or ETIAS) becomes operational for visitors next year.
The travel authorisation fee was originally slated to cost €7 ($12.40), but the EU settled on a higher cost.
The ETIAS fee will capture most Australian visitors to Europe - and will function a bit like the US ESTA visa waiver, or the UK Electronic Travel Authorisation.
'Travellers will need to fill out an online application before their trip, providing personal information,' the EU said.
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'The application will be processed automatically, and the traveller will receive a decision within minutes.'
Establishing the fee higher than originally planned for Europe-bound travel will be unwelcome news for Australia's intrepid international travellers.
The EU announcement comes days after the US government unveiled a new $US250 ($383) fee on applications for visits to the US by Australians ineligible for the ESTA visa waiver program. The change was contained in US President Donald Trump's 'big beautiful bill'.
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7NEWS
42 minutes ago
- 7NEWS
Australians outraged at telco providers' emergency service failures, missed sales and frozen banking apps
As Australia becomes increasingly dependent on telecommunications services, consumers and businesses expect a reliable network provider and not one that works some of the time. Aside from frustration and inconvenience, studies show network outages are exceedingly costly for businesses in a world where cash is becoming increasingly obsolete. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Service provider disruptions cost Australian millions New research from PagerDuty, a global leader in digital operations, has revealed Australians lost an estimated 73 million hours of operation in the past year. The release showed that 41 per cent of Australians experienced a system failure, incident or outage with their telecommunications provider in the last 12 months. In addition, a March report from cybersecurity and observability leader Splunk revealed that unplanned tech disruptions are costing businesses with over 500 employees a staggering $86 billion. Independent telecommunications analyst Paul Budde spoke to 7NEWS exclusively about the dangers of frequent outages. 'People are affected by it (outages) ... particularly in health care services, education services where it gets cut and it's dangerous,' Budde said. 'People can lose their life if the telephone isn't working.' Budde also detailed the reason behind these outages is often linked to human error, continuous updates and software changes. 'They (telecommunications providers) are highly cost driven ... cost cutting all the time in order to keep profitable,' he said. 'Obviously, in a process like that, you can see mistakes are made and then it becomes easier for outages to occur.' If this issue is posing a significant threat to life and business, what then is being done? The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) recently introduced stronger consumer protections to safeguard Australians. These protections include customers being informed of the outages when they occur, the locations that are affected, and the likely cause. Providers will also be responsible for detailing the services their outage will impact, and the estimated timeframe consumers should expect to see the issue resolved. Member for the ACMA Samantha Yorke spoke on the changes, considering them vital to addressing the substantial impact these outages have on individuals and communities. 'It's not just frustrating, it can cause significant issues, including disrupting businesses and impacting public safety,' Yorke said. New obligations will require telecommunications services to provide greater certainty that calls to emergency services will be carried by an available network in the event of an outage. 'Improving industry accountability for the carriage of calls to Triple Zero will give Australians greater confidence that their safety is prioritised when networks are down,' Yorke said.
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
What should you be reading this week? Here are eight new books
Lee Atkinson. Hardie Grant. $45.00. Australians love a road trip, right? This book has 35 drives for those who want to leave Highway 1 and hit the back roads, with notes about towns and highlights, camping and caravanning spots and handy drive ratings that range in difficulty from easy to challenging. Admittedly, these are not trips to tackle in your Pop's Hillman Minx, but they don't necessarily require a heavy-duty four-wheel-drive either. Whether you hanker after the rainforests of Tasmania, croc country in the tropics or the corrugations and bulldust of the red centre, this book has plenty to whet your appetite for exploration. Riley Knight. Allen & Unwin. $29.99. We really shouldn't laugh at the misfortunes of others, but it's hard not to see the funny side in the story of a bloke who carked it after tripping on his beard in 1567. The author, host of the Half-Arsed History podcast, lists 50 weird examples of people popping their clogs, including Duke Godfrey IV of Lower Lorraine, who was killed in 1076 by a man hidden inside his medieval thunderbox. "Despite his evil intentions, you'll agree that this was an assassin who was truly dedicated to his craft." This book is a bit gruesome, a little crude, and unapologetically hilarious. Adam Courtenay. Hachette. $34.99. Bryce Courtenay was an Australian literary sensation, an adman-turned-author known for novels such as The Power of One and the deeply personal tribute April Fool's Day. But to his son Adam, he could be complex and often elusive, a man who was better and more comfortable "working with make-believe worlds than he was at explaining real ones". Adam Courtenay's memoir reveals the man behind the very public persona: the Bryce of false humility, the before-fame Bryce and the after-fame Bryce, the Bryce who craved love and adulation from everyone "and would say and do whatever it took to get it". Vicki Hastrich. Allen & Unwin. $34.99. Zane Grey was one of the first superstar authors and the king of the Western. His dominance of the genre in books and films during the years between the two world wars raked in millions, allowing him to indulge his passion for big game fishing. That expensive pastime brought him to Australia twice in the 1930s. Grey chased world records off the NSW South Coast, where he helped to put Bermagui on the map, made a shark movie, White Death, at Hayman Island and later battled a great white off Port Lincoln. This is the story of his antipodean exploits. Gabriel Bergmoser. HarperCollins. $32.99. It's Die Hard meets The Raid, with an Australian accent on the humour, as rogue ex-cop Jack Carlin - a supporting character introduced in Gabriel Bergmoser's thrillers The Inheritance (2021) and The Caretaker (2023) - finds his year-long search for estranged daughter Morgan propelling him to the top floor of a derelict Melbourne high-rise. Morgan doesn't want to be saved - particularly not by her father - and half the city's criminal underworld is on his tail, but Jack kicks into John Wick/Jack Reacher mode through 15 storeys of fast, furious and ferocious action, the violence made more brutal and relentless in this nowhere-to-escape setting. Sam Guthrie. HarperCollins. $34.99. Zipping between the vibrant streets of Hong Kong, the shadowy corridors of power in Beijing and the backstabbing power plays of Parliament House in Canberra, this espionage thriller draws on former diplomat and trade official Sam Guthrie's extensive experience of China and insider knowledge of the workings of government. Focusing on the relationship between political fixer Charlie and government minister Sebastian, best friends since their brutal private school days, The Peak weaves a story of brotherly bonds betrayed and a suspenseful doomsday scenario into the real-life drama of Australia's diplomatic dance between geopolitical titans China and the US. Magdalena McGuire. Ultimo Press. $34.99. When passionate environmentalist Sapphie rescues a baby from the sea, she forms an intense friendship with the infant's struggling mother, Candace. But Alexia, Candace's friend, is dubious about this unconventional new woman in their lives. The internet suggests Sapphie doesn't exist, so what is she hiding? As each woman navigates her fears and desires to discover who they really are when it seems so much is against them - the environment, parenting, economic security, gender disparity - the novel's pacing allows the reader time to reflect deeply and meaningfully on the characters, draw connections and empathise with their struggles from different perspectives. Michelle Johnston. 4th Estate. $34.99. "Time rumbles. It's a low growl between the shoulder blades, in the bones, deep in the chest." This evocative epigraph sets the tone beautifully for a novel exploring the idea that you can never really hide from your past. Christine Campbell is a former journalist writing a memoir based on her acclaimed coverage of the 1999 unrest in the North Caucasus. When an estranged friend comes back into her life, uncomfortable truths surface from that fateful time and place. Johnston's storytelling is magnificent as she thoughtfully captures the essence of place while artfully entwining the two distinct time periods. Lee Atkinson. Hardie Grant. $45.00. Australians love a road trip, right? This book has 35 drives for those who want to leave Highway 1 and hit the back roads, with notes about towns and highlights, camping and caravanning spots and handy drive ratings that range in difficulty from easy to challenging. Admittedly, these are not trips to tackle in your Pop's Hillman Minx, but they don't necessarily require a heavy-duty four-wheel-drive either. Whether you hanker after the rainforests of Tasmania, croc country in the tropics or the corrugations and bulldust of the red centre, this book has plenty to whet your appetite for exploration. Riley Knight. Allen & Unwin. $29.99. We really shouldn't laugh at the misfortunes of others, but it's hard not to see the funny side in the story of a bloke who carked it after tripping on his beard in 1567. The author, host of the Half-Arsed History podcast, lists 50 weird examples of people popping their clogs, including Duke Godfrey IV of Lower Lorraine, who was killed in 1076 by a man hidden inside his medieval thunderbox. "Despite his evil intentions, you'll agree that this was an assassin who was truly dedicated to his craft." This book is a bit gruesome, a little crude, and unapologetically hilarious. Adam Courtenay. Hachette. $34.99. Bryce Courtenay was an Australian literary sensation, an adman-turned-author known for novels such as The Power of One and the deeply personal tribute April Fool's Day. But to his son Adam, he could be complex and often elusive, a man who was better and more comfortable "working with make-believe worlds than he was at explaining real ones". Adam Courtenay's memoir reveals the man behind the very public persona: the Bryce of false humility, the before-fame Bryce and the after-fame Bryce, the Bryce who craved love and adulation from everyone "and would say and do whatever it took to get it". Vicki Hastrich. Allen & Unwin. $34.99. Zane Grey was one of the first superstar authors and the king of the Western. His dominance of the genre in books and films during the years between the two world wars raked in millions, allowing him to indulge his passion for big game fishing. That expensive pastime brought him to Australia twice in the 1930s. Grey chased world records off the NSW South Coast, where he helped to put Bermagui on the map, made a shark movie, White Death, at Hayman Island and later battled a great white off Port Lincoln. This is the story of his antipodean exploits. Gabriel Bergmoser. HarperCollins. $32.99. It's Die Hard meets The Raid, with an Australian accent on the humour, as rogue ex-cop Jack Carlin - a supporting character introduced in Gabriel Bergmoser's thrillers The Inheritance (2021) and The Caretaker (2023) - finds his year-long search for estranged daughter Morgan propelling him to the top floor of a derelict Melbourne high-rise. Morgan doesn't want to be saved - particularly not by her father - and half the city's criminal underworld is on his tail, but Jack kicks into John Wick/Jack Reacher mode through 15 storeys of fast, furious and ferocious action, the violence made more brutal and relentless in this nowhere-to-escape setting. Sam Guthrie. HarperCollins. $34.99. Zipping between the vibrant streets of Hong Kong, the shadowy corridors of power in Beijing and the backstabbing power plays of Parliament House in Canberra, this espionage thriller draws on former diplomat and trade official Sam Guthrie's extensive experience of China and insider knowledge of the workings of government. Focusing on the relationship between political fixer Charlie and government minister Sebastian, best friends since their brutal private school days, The Peak weaves a story of brotherly bonds betrayed and a suspenseful doomsday scenario into the real-life drama of Australia's diplomatic dance between geopolitical titans China and the US. Magdalena McGuire. Ultimo Press. $34.99. When passionate environmentalist Sapphie rescues a baby from the sea, she forms an intense friendship with the infant's struggling mother, Candace. But Alexia, Candace's friend, is dubious about this unconventional new woman in their lives. The internet suggests Sapphie doesn't exist, so what is she hiding? As each woman navigates her fears and desires to discover who they really are when it seems so much is against them - the environment, parenting, economic security, gender disparity - the novel's pacing allows the reader time to reflect deeply and meaningfully on the characters, draw connections and empathise with their struggles from different perspectives. Michelle Johnston. 4th Estate. $34.99. "Time rumbles. It's a low growl between the shoulder blades, in the bones, deep in the chest." This evocative epigraph sets the tone beautifully for a novel exploring the idea that you can never really hide from your past. Christine Campbell is a former journalist writing a memoir based on her acclaimed coverage of the 1999 unrest in the North Caucasus. When an estranged friend comes back into her life, uncomfortable truths surface from that fateful time and place. Johnston's storytelling is magnificent as she thoughtfully captures the essence of place while artfully entwining the two distinct time periods. Lee Atkinson. Hardie Grant. $45.00. Australians love a road trip, right? This book has 35 drives for those who want to leave Highway 1 and hit the back roads, with notes about towns and highlights, camping and caravanning spots and handy drive ratings that range in difficulty from easy to challenging. Admittedly, these are not trips to tackle in your Pop's Hillman Minx, but they don't necessarily require a heavy-duty four-wheel-drive either. Whether you hanker after the rainforests of Tasmania, croc country in the tropics or the corrugations and bulldust of the red centre, this book has plenty to whet your appetite for exploration. Riley Knight. Allen & Unwin. $29.99. We really shouldn't laugh at the misfortunes of others, but it's hard not to see the funny side in the story of a bloke who carked it after tripping on his beard in 1567. The author, host of the Half-Arsed History podcast, lists 50 weird examples of people popping their clogs, including Duke Godfrey IV of Lower Lorraine, who was killed in 1076 by a man hidden inside his medieval thunderbox. "Despite his evil intentions, you'll agree that this was an assassin who was truly dedicated to his craft." This book is a bit gruesome, a little crude, and unapologetically hilarious. Adam Courtenay. Hachette. $34.99. Bryce Courtenay was an Australian literary sensation, an adman-turned-author known for novels such as The Power of One and the deeply personal tribute April Fool's Day. But to his son Adam, he could be complex and often elusive, a man who was better and more comfortable "working with make-believe worlds than he was at explaining real ones". Adam Courtenay's memoir reveals the man behind the very public persona: the Bryce of false humility, the before-fame Bryce and the after-fame Bryce, the Bryce who craved love and adulation from everyone "and would say and do whatever it took to get it". Vicki Hastrich. Allen & Unwin. $34.99. Zane Grey was one of the first superstar authors and the king of the Western. His dominance of the genre in books and films during the years between the two world wars raked in millions, allowing him to indulge his passion for big game fishing. That expensive pastime brought him to Australia twice in the 1930s. Grey chased world records off the NSW South Coast, where he helped to put Bermagui on the map, made a shark movie, White Death, at Hayman Island and later battled a great white off Port Lincoln. This is the story of his antipodean exploits. Gabriel Bergmoser. HarperCollins. $32.99. It's Die Hard meets The Raid, with an Australian accent on the humour, as rogue ex-cop Jack Carlin - a supporting character introduced in Gabriel Bergmoser's thrillers The Inheritance (2021) and The Caretaker (2023) - finds his year-long search for estranged daughter Morgan propelling him to the top floor of a derelict Melbourne high-rise. Morgan doesn't want to be saved - particularly not by her father - and half the city's criminal underworld is on his tail, but Jack kicks into John Wick/Jack Reacher mode through 15 storeys of fast, furious and ferocious action, the violence made more brutal and relentless in this nowhere-to-escape setting. Sam Guthrie. HarperCollins. $34.99. Zipping between the vibrant streets of Hong Kong, the shadowy corridors of power in Beijing and the backstabbing power plays of Parliament House in Canberra, this espionage thriller draws on former diplomat and trade official Sam Guthrie's extensive experience of China and insider knowledge of the workings of government. Focusing on the relationship between political fixer Charlie and government minister Sebastian, best friends since their brutal private school days, The Peak weaves a story of brotherly bonds betrayed and a suspenseful doomsday scenario into the real-life drama of Australia's diplomatic dance between geopolitical titans China and the US. Magdalena McGuire. Ultimo Press. $34.99. When passionate environmentalist Sapphie rescues a baby from the sea, she forms an intense friendship with the infant's struggling mother, Candace. But Alexia, Candace's friend, is dubious about this unconventional new woman in their lives. The internet suggests Sapphie doesn't exist, so what is she hiding? As each woman navigates her fears and desires to discover who they really are when it seems so much is against them - the environment, parenting, economic security, gender disparity - the novel's pacing allows the reader time to reflect deeply and meaningfully on the characters, draw connections and empathise with their struggles from different perspectives. Michelle Johnston. 4th Estate. $34.99. "Time rumbles. It's a low growl between the shoulder blades, in the bones, deep in the chest." This evocative epigraph sets the tone beautifully for a novel exploring the idea that you can never really hide from your past. Christine Campbell is a former journalist writing a memoir based on her acclaimed coverage of the 1999 unrest in the North Caucasus. When an estranged friend comes back into her life, uncomfortable truths surface from that fateful time and place. Johnston's storytelling is magnificent as she thoughtfully captures the essence of place while artfully entwining the two distinct time periods. Lee Atkinson. Hardie Grant. $45.00. Australians love a road trip, right? This book has 35 drives for those who want to leave Highway 1 and hit the back roads, with notes about towns and highlights, camping and caravanning spots and handy drive ratings that range in difficulty from easy to challenging. Admittedly, these are not trips to tackle in your Pop's Hillman Minx, but they don't necessarily require a heavy-duty four-wheel-drive either. Whether you hanker after the rainforests of Tasmania, croc country in the tropics or the corrugations and bulldust of the red centre, this book has plenty to whet your appetite for exploration. Riley Knight. Allen & Unwin. $29.99. We really shouldn't laugh at the misfortunes of others, but it's hard not to see the funny side in the story of a bloke who carked it after tripping on his beard in 1567. The author, host of the Half-Arsed History podcast, lists 50 weird examples of people popping their clogs, including Duke Godfrey IV of Lower Lorraine, who was killed in 1076 by a man hidden inside his medieval thunderbox. "Despite his evil intentions, you'll agree that this was an assassin who was truly dedicated to his craft." This book is a bit gruesome, a little crude, and unapologetically hilarious. Adam Courtenay. Hachette. $34.99. Bryce Courtenay was an Australian literary sensation, an adman-turned-author known for novels such as The Power of One and the deeply personal tribute April Fool's Day. But to his son Adam, he could be complex and often elusive, a man who was better and more comfortable "working with make-believe worlds than he was at explaining real ones". Adam Courtenay's memoir reveals the man behind the very public persona: the Bryce of false humility, the before-fame Bryce and the after-fame Bryce, the Bryce who craved love and adulation from everyone "and would say and do whatever it took to get it". Vicki Hastrich. Allen & Unwin. $34.99. Zane Grey was one of the first superstar authors and the king of the Western. His dominance of the genre in books and films during the years between the two world wars raked in millions, allowing him to indulge his passion for big game fishing. That expensive pastime brought him to Australia twice in the 1930s. Grey chased world records off the NSW South Coast, where he helped to put Bermagui on the map, made a shark movie, White Death, at Hayman Island and later battled a great white off Port Lincoln. This is the story of his antipodean exploits. Gabriel Bergmoser. HarperCollins. $32.99. It's Die Hard meets The Raid, with an Australian accent on the humour, as rogue ex-cop Jack Carlin - a supporting character introduced in Gabriel Bergmoser's thrillers The Inheritance (2021) and The Caretaker (2023) - finds his year-long search for estranged daughter Morgan propelling him to the top floor of a derelict Melbourne high-rise. Morgan doesn't want to be saved - particularly not by her father - and half the city's criminal underworld is on his tail, but Jack kicks into John Wick/Jack Reacher mode through 15 storeys of fast, furious and ferocious action, the violence made more brutal and relentless in this nowhere-to-escape setting. Sam Guthrie. HarperCollins. $34.99. Zipping between the vibrant streets of Hong Kong, the shadowy corridors of power in Beijing and the backstabbing power plays of Parliament House in Canberra, this espionage thriller draws on former diplomat and trade official Sam Guthrie's extensive experience of China and insider knowledge of the workings of government. Focusing on the relationship between political fixer Charlie and government minister Sebastian, best friends since their brutal private school days, The Peak weaves a story of brotherly bonds betrayed and a suspenseful doomsday scenario into the real-life drama of Australia's diplomatic dance between geopolitical titans China and the US. Magdalena McGuire. Ultimo Press. $34.99. When passionate environmentalist Sapphie rescues a baby from the sea, she forms an intense friendship with the infant's struggling mother, Candace. But Alexia, Candace's friend, is dubious about this unconventional new woman in their lives. The internet suggests Sapphie doesn't exist, so what is she hiding? As each woman navigates her fears and desires to discover who they really are when it seems so much is against them - the environment, parenting, economic security, gender disparity - the novel's pacing allows the reader time to reflect deeply and meaningfully on the characters, draw connections and empathise with their struggles from different perspectives. Michelle Johnston. 4th Estate. $34.99. "Time rumbles. It's a low growl between the shoulder blades, in the bones, deep in the chest." This evocative epigraph sets the tone beautifully for a novel exploring the idea that you can never really hide from your past. Christine Campbell is a former journalist writing a memoir based on her acclaimed coverage of the 1999 unrest in the North Caucasus. When an estranged friend comes back into her life, uncomfortable truths surface from that fateful time and place. Johnston's storytelling is magnificent as she thoughtfully captures the essence of place while artfully entwining the two distinct time periods.
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
'Brave' plan to lift GST offers $3300 payment carrot
A bold proposal to give Australians an extra $3300 per year in exchange for a rise in the goods and services tax is being treated with caution by the major parties. Independent MP Kate Chaney calls for the implementation of a "progressive GST model" as the federal government looks for ways to reinvigorate Australia's languishing productivity and strengthen the budget at an economic roundtable. Under the plan first proposed by economist Richard Holden, Australia would lift the rate of the consumption tax from 10 to 15 per cent and apply it to exempt items like food, education and health. But to mitigate the impact on those with lower incomes, all Australians aged 18 and older would be given a $3300 rebate, meaning they would effectively pay no GST on the first $22,000 of their annual expenses. While the GST-free threshold would cost Australia $68.8 billion, increasing the tax and removing exemptions for certain categories would raise $92.7 billion, adding $23.8 billion to the Commonwealth's budget. "The major parties like to talk about tax cuts and spending but they're less willing to discuss where the money will come from," Ms Chaney said. "We have to have courageous conversations about other revenue sources to avoid handballing this problem to future generations." With the government's economic roundtable to convene later in August, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he would not respond to every proposal in the meantime. "Governments make government policy," he told reporters in Melbourne on Thursday. "Our tax policy - the only tax policy that we're implementing - is the one that we took to the election ... which is reducing income taxes." Opposition finance spokesman James Patterson said he was concerned two-thirds of revenue generated by Ms Chaney's proposal would be used to compensate Australians for the tax it collects. He warned against tax on spending in areas carved out of the GST when it was introduced more than two decades ago, such as education and health. "The Howard government recognised that people who spend their money on private health or private education are actually taking a burden off the public purse, and therefore it would be unjust to tax them on top of that," he told Sky News. It would be an "incredibly brave government" that put a tax on top of insurance and private education fees, Senator Patterson said. Meanwhile, the Australian Council of Social Service has called for a halving of the capital gains tax discount, a 15 per cent tax on superannuation retirement accounts and a commonwealth royalty payment for offshore gas. It urges the government to strengthen the not-for-profit sector by supporting digital transformation and making service users the centrepiece of governance and program design. All policies developed at the roundtable should be assessed on how they improve the wellbeing of people and the natural environment while taking gender and other factors into account, the council said. "We must better prepare and train people for jobs and finally lift income support to levels that don't trap people in poverty and destitution," Dr Goldie said. A bold proposal to give Australians an extra $3300 per year in exchange for a rise in the goods and services tax is being treated with caution by the major parties. Independent MP Kate Chaney calls for the implementation of a "progressive GST model" as the federal government looks for ways to reinvigorate Australia's languishing productivity and strengthen the budget at an economic roundtable. Under the plan first proposed by economist Richard Holden, Australia would lift the rate of the consumption tax from 10 to 15 per cent and apply it to exempt items like food, education and health. But to mitigate the impact on those with lower incomes, all Australians aged 18 and older would be given a $3300 rebate, meaning they would effectively pay no GST on the first $22,000 of their annual expenses. While the GST-free threshold would cost Australia $68.8 billion, increasing the tax and removing exemptions for certain categories would raise $92.7 billion, adding $23.8 billion to the Commonwealth's budget. "The major parties like to talk about tax cuts and spending but they're less willing to discuss where the money will come from," Ms Chaney said. "We have to have courageous conversations about other revenue sources to avoid handballing this problem to future generations." With the government's economic roundtable to convene later in August, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he would not respond to every proposal in the meantime. "Governments make government policy," he told reporters in Melbourne on Thursday. "Our tax policy - the only tax policy that we're implementing - is the one that we took to the election ... which is reducing income taxes." Opposition finance spokesman James Patterson said he was concerned two-thirds of revenue generated by Ms Chaney's proposal would be used to compensate Australians for the tax it collects. He warned against tax on spending in areas carved out of the GST when it was introduced more than two decades ago, such as education and health. "The Howard government recognised that people who spend their money on private health or private education are actually taking a burden off the public purse, and therefore it would be unjust to tax them on top of that," he told Sky News. It would be an "incredibly brave government" that put a tax on top of insurance and private education fees, Senator Patterson said. Meanwhile, the Australian Council of Social Service has called for a halving of the capital gains tax discount, a 15 per cent tax on superannuation retirement accounts and a commonwealth royalty payment for offshore gas. It urges the government to strengthen the not-for-profit sector by supporting digital transformation and making service users the centrepiece of governance and program design. All policies developed at the roundtable should be assessed on how they improve the wellbeing of people and the natural environment while taking gender and other factors into account, the council said. "We must better prepare and train people for jobs and finally lift income support to levels that don't trap people in poverty and destitution," Dr Goldie said. A bold proposal to give Australians an extra $3300 per year in exchange for a rise in the goods and services tax is being treated with caution by the major parties. Independent MP Kate Chaney calls for the implementation of a "progressive GST model" as the federal government looks for ways to reinvigorate Australia's languishing productivity and strengthen the budget at an economic roundtable. Under the plan first proposed by economist Richard Holden, Australia would lift the rate of the consumption tax from 10 to 15 per cent and apply it to exempt items like food, education and health. But to mitigate the impact on those with lower incomes, all Australians aged 18 and older would be given a $3300 rebate, meaning they would effectively pay no GST on the first $22,000 of their annual expenses. While the GST-free threshold would cost Australia $68.8 billion, increasing the tax and removing exemptions for certain categories would raise $92.7 billion, adding $23.8 billion to the Commonwealth's budget. "The major parties like to talk about tax cuts and spending but they're less willing to discuss where the money will come from," Ms Chaney said. "We have to have courageous conversations about other revenue sources to avoid handballing this problem to future generations." With the government's economic roundtable to convene later in August, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he would not respond to every proposal in the meantime. "Governments make government policy," he told reporters in Melbourne on Thursday. "Our tax policy - the only tax policy that we're implementing - is the one that we took to the election ... which is reducing income taxes." Opposition finance spokesman James Patterson said he was concerned two-thirds of revenue generated by Ms Chaney's proposal would be used to compensate Australians for the tax it collects. He warned against tax on spending in areas carved out of the GST when it was introduced more than two decades ago, such as education and health. "The Howard government recognised that people who spend their money on private health or private education are actually taking a burden off the public purse, and therefore it would be unjust to tax them on top of that," he told Sky News. It would be an "incredibly brave government" that put a tax on top of insurance and private education fees, Senator Patterson said. Meanwhile, the Australian Council of Social Service has called for a halving of the capital gains tax discount, a 15 per cent tax on superannuation retirement accounts and a commonwealth royalty payment for offshore gas. It urges the government to strengthen the not-for-profit sector by supporting digital transformation and making service users the centrepiece of governance and program design. All policies developed at the roundtable should be assessed on how they improve the wellbeing of people and the natural environment while taking gender and other factors into account, the council said. "We must better prepare and train people for jobs and finally lift income support to levels that don't trap people in poverty and destitution," Dr Goldie said. A bold proposal to give Australians an extra $3300 per year in exchange for a rise in the goods and services tax is being treated with caution by the major parties. Independent MP Kate Chaney calls for the implementation of a "progressive GST model" as the federal government looks for ways to reinvigorate Australia's languishing productivity and strengthen the budget at an economic roundtable. Under the plan first proposed by economist Richard Holden, Australia would lift the rate of the consumption tax from 10 to 15 per cent and apply it to exempt items like food, education and health. But to mitigate the impact on those with lower incomes, all Australians aged 18 and older would be given a $3300 rebate, meaning they would effectively pay no GST on the first $22,000 of their annual expenses. While the GST-free threshold would cost Australia $68.8 billion, increasing the tax and removing exemptions for certain categories would raise $92.7 billion, adding $23.8 billion to the Commonwealth's budget. "The major parties like to talk about tax cuts and spending but they're less willing to discuss where the money will come from," Ms Chaney said. "We have to have courageous conversations about other revenue sources to avoid handballing this problem to future generations." With the government's economic roundtable to convene later in August, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he would not respond to every proposal in the meantime. "Governments make government policy," he told reporters in Melbourne on Thursday. "Our tax policy - the only tax policy that we're implementing - is the one that we took to the election ... which is reducing income taxes." Opposition finance spokesman James Patterson said he was concerned two-thirds of revenue generated by Ms Chaney's proposal would be used to compensate Australians for the tax it collects. He warned against tax on spending in areas carved out of the GST when it was introduced more than two decades ago, such as education and health. "The Howard government recognised that people who spend their money on private health or private education are actually taking a burden off the public purse, and therefore it would be unjust to tax them on top of that," he told Sky News. It would be an "incredibly brave government" that put a tax on top of insurance and private education fees, Senator Patterson said. Meanwhile, the Australian Council of Social Service has called for a halving of the capital gains tax discount, a 15 per cent tax on superannuation retirement accounts and a commonwealth royalty payment for offshore gas. It urges the government to strengthen the not-for-profit sector by supporting digital transformation and making service users the centrepiece of governance and program design. All policies developed at the roundtable should be assessed on how they improve the wellbeing of people and the natural environment while taking gender and other factors into account, the council said. "We must better prepare and train people for jobs and finally lift income support to levels that don't trap people in poverty and destitution," Dr Goldie said.
