New charge for every Aussie going overseas as Jim Chalmers outlines his cost-saving mission

Published: 02:03, 13 May 2026 | Updated: 02:26, 13 May 2026 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 for the next three months, alongside its budget partner Jetstar. 'The Qantas Group continues to take action to mitigate the impact of the conflict in the Middle East, including sustained high fuel costs,' a Qantas Group statement said. 'The group has extended previously announced capacity reductions of 5 percentage points until the end of September, predominantly on Qantas and Jetstar flights on major capital city routes.' Customers who were booked on flights impacted by schedule changes are being contacted directly and offered alternative flights or a refund. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.