Cost of living relief kicks in July 1: What Aussies can expect

If you’ve been feeling the pinch at the checkout, the petrol station, or when opening your latest electricity bill, you’re not alone. The cost of living has been a hot topic for many of us, and it’s no secret that every little bit of help counts.

Well, we’ve got some good news: starting tomorrow, a raft of new government measures is set to put more money back in the pockets of millions of Australians—including many of our Seniors Discount Club members!



What’s Changing on July 1?
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his government are rolling out a suite of cost-of-living relief measures designed to help everyday Aussies.

'The Albanese Labor Government is delivering more real, practical and ongoing help with the cost of living for Australians, with more support set to roll out a week from today,' said Treasurer Jim Chalmers. 'This is more responsible, meaningful hip-pocket help for households.'

Whether you’re working, retired, supporting a family, or helping out with the grandkids, there’s a good chance you or someone you love will benefit from these changes.

Let’s break down what’s coming your way.


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Aussies on the minimum wage and those on awards will receive a 3.5% pay rise from 1 July, outpacing inflation and lifting the hourly minimum wage to $24.95. Image source: Anthony Albanese MP / Youtube.



1. Electricity Rebates and Other Relief
While the $75 quarterly electricity rebate is set to continue until the end of 2025, it’s worth noting that this is just one of several ongoing supports designed to help with rising utility costs.

If you haven’t already, make sure you’re receiving all the rebates and concessions you’re entitled to—especially as a senior!

2. Family Tax Benefit Increases
Families receiving Family Tax Benefit Part A will see the maximum payment for children under 13 rise to $227.36 per fortnight, and for those aged 13 or over, up to $295.82 per fortnight.

Family Tax Benefit Part B is also increasing, with the maximum rate now $193.34 per fortnight (or $134.96 for families with a youngest child aged five or over).

3. Superannuation Boosts
Compulsory employer super contributions are rising from 11.5 per cent to 12 per cent. This means more money going into your retirement savings—great news for those still working or with family members in the workforce.

Plus, superannuation will now be paid on top of paid parental leave, helping new parents build their nest egg even while taking time off to care for a new bub.



4. Paid Parental Leave Improvements
Paid parental leave is increasing from 22 to 24 weeks, giving new parents more time at home with their little ones.

The income limits for eligibility are also rising, with the individual cap now at $180,007 and the family cap at $373,094. This means more families will qualify for this important support.

5. Minimum Wage Increase
Australia’s 2.9 million workers on awards or the minimum wage will see a 3.5 per cent pay rise from July 1. That’s a bigger bump than the current inflation rate of 2.4 per cent meaning real-world gains for those who need it most.

The new minimum hourly rate will be $24.95, translating to a full-time weekly wage of $948, or $49,296 a year. For the 200,000 Aussies on the minimum wage, that’s an extra $1,669 a year in your pocket. 'The Albanese Labor Government is delivering what we said we would at last month's election, rolling out billions of dollars' worth of responsible support from 1 July,' Chalmers said.




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Paid parental leave is increasing to 24 weeks (up from 22), with superannuation now included, and income limits for eligibility rising to benefit more families. Image source: Anthony Albanese MP / Youtube.



6. Tradie Apprenticeship Incentives
Know a young person considering a trade? New apprentices in housing construction will receive up to $10,000 in incentive payments over the course of their apprenticeship.

Payments are staggered at $2,000 after six months, one year, two years, and three years—helping to ease the financial burden as they learn their trade.

In earlier news: Millions of Aussies set for a cash boost—here’s what it could mean for you



7. Student Debt Relief
For those with children or grandchildren at university, there’s more good news: the government is cutting student debt by 20%, averaging a $5,520 reduction per person. This is a significant saving for families supporting students, and it’s backdated to June 1.

8. Tax Cuts on the Horizon
While most of the immediate relief starts tomorrow, there’s more to look forward to.

From July 1, 2026, the tax rate for workers earning $18,201 to $45,000 will drop from 16% to 15%, saving $268 a year. In 2027, it drops again to 14%, bringing total relief to $536 over two years. Every taxpayer earning above $45,000 will also benefit from these cuts.

Also read: ‘The new super tax has been designed to excuse long-serving politicians': And it’s causing outrage



With so many changes happening, it’s a great time to review your entitlements. Are you getting all the rebates, supplements, and concessions you qualify for? If you’re unsure, reach out to Services Australia or your local Centrelink office, or ask in the comments below—our community is always happy to help!

Related story: ‘Many Australians continue to experience financial challenges’: Meanwhile, MPs just scored a $15k raise

Key Takeaways

  • Aussies on the minimum wage and those on awards will receive a 3.5% pay rise from 1 July, outpacing inflation and lifting the hourly minimum wage to $24.95.
  • Paid parental leave is increasing to 24 weeks (up from 22), with superannuation now included, and income limits for eligibility rising to benefit more families.
  • New apprentices in housing construction will pocket up to $10,000 in incentive payments during their apprenticeship, with other family payments such as Family Tax Benefit Part A and B also set to rise.
  • Further income tax relief is on the way, starting from July 2026, but university student debt will be cut by 20% (on average $5,520) as part of Labor’s promised cost-of-living support.

We’d love to hear from you! Are you or your family set to benefit from these new measures? Do you think the government is doing enough to help with the cost of living? Share your thoughts, experiences, and questions in the comments below. Let’s support each other and make sure everyone gets the help they deserve!
 
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once again there is nothing extra for pensioners and yet single parents who have children they cannot afford to have are getting a increase twice as much as pensioners received on their last welfare increase Why is it that THE ELDERLY and the DISABLED ARE discriminated against FROM EVERYONE ELSE
MINIMUM WAGE UP TO OVER $950 a week and pensioners on $550 a week
oONE GETS A $32 a week increase and pensioners $2.30 WHY
 
A lot of complaining going on here. I'd like to get a gauge of those complaining who voted for Albanese?
I voted for Albanese and proud to admit it.

How many in this thread voted for Peter Potatohead?

Nowhere near enough, according to the polls! :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO:

Anybody else prepared to state their political leanings?
 
It angers me that you read about these millionaires in Australia who don't pay a cent in Tax. I get less than $50k per annum, that is from 3 pensions from the UK, (two have been frozen since 2007), and my Aussie Aged pension, yet out of that $50k I paid over $10k in tax. I bet these millionaires probably pay more to their tax advisers than I get in income per year.
 
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Reactions: Vio Kot
once again there is nothing extra for pensioners and yet single parents who have children they cannot afford to have are getting a increase twice as much as pensioners received on their last welfare increase Why is it that THE ELDERLY and the DISABLED ARE discriminated against FROM EVERYONE ELSE
MINIMUM WAGE UP TO OVER $950 a week and pensioners on $550 a week
oONE GETS A $32 a week increase and pensioners $2.30 WHY
Just remember who introduced the Baby Bonus in 2002. Peter Costello under the Howard Government.

This resulted in a generation of "baby factories" across the country, getting $3000 per newborn which rose to $5000. I knew of a girl who had six children before she turned 21, just to get the handout, not for the reason of wanting children.
 
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My 'predicted' electricity bill will be over $800 for 3 months and sue mid August

Rebates not yet applied but I expect it will still be over $600.

For a 2 age pensioners with no other income , that's not going to work, so I'm trying to get a job.

Australia has plenty of rain ( hydro? ) and sun ( solar? ) so why are we succumbing to Electricity price hikes?
They dont know how to make use of it and apparently have other stupid priorities to spend taxpayer money on
 
If you are a pensioner in this day and age in Australia, good luck to you trying to survive.
Not any better for self funded retirees, they tax anything they can until you're left with nothing.
Nothing in these so called benefits for any seniors, we are the forgotten, the generation who no one gives a f...k about, we are Generation D the sooner they are Dead, the better.
 
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Feel comfort in the fact that people on the dole will have further incentive not to work, and those studying to be doctors or lawyers will have 20% off their hex fees while still charging exorbitant fees
 
I voted for Albanese and proud to admit it.

How many in this thread voted for Peter Potatohead?

Nowhere near enough, according to the polls! :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO:

Anybody else prepared to state their political leanings?
I like to vote for whoever is honest and doesn’t lie. Also, I prefer someone who is not a hypocrite. Albo compared himself to being a good Catholic boy, and didn’t forget the cameras when he went to Mass after the Pope died. I would have thought a good Catholic boy like Albo apparently is, would swear on the Holy Bible to take office. He chose not to. I’m glad the roof of the church didn’t come crashing down while he was there. No doubt, he is a liar and a hypocrite. Gezzabel.
 
An awful lot of ignorance in Australia now. We seem to have two types of people - one lot who have their hands out and vote for the freebies, with absolutely no regard to what's best for the country, and another lot who have no idea how the preferential voting system works and are swayed by political propaganda and influencers. They all appear to lack the intelligence to see through the lies of labor politicians. In all my years, I've never seen a government so lacking in morals and standards. Truly appalling that people actually voted these liars back in. I thought Australia was smarter than that.
I agree. They should ban "How to Vote" flyers and educate all the dumbos that have no idea about the way preferential voting works and gives us more power in voting in who we really want in power or rather who we really don't want in power. I learnt about preferential voting in year 6 at school. They don't teach it at school any more. They prefer us to be dumb.
 
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So, I don't see any relief for us Aged Pensioners who only have our Pension to live on or am I missing something. Maybe September will see a good increase. Fingers crossed.!!!!!!!!!!!
 
I voted for Albanese and proud to admit it.

How many in this thread voted for Peter Potatohead?

Nowhere near enough, according to the polls! :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO:

Anybody else prepared to state their political leanings?
Conservative. Regional. Nationals usually because they are the only ones that fight for us regionals. This time I voted an independant who didn't give out how to vote cards. I used my preferential vote to my preferences as everyone should. I don't care who you vote for but I do care about using your own preferences and not some party making out that you need to follow a how to vote card to make a valid vote. It's about time this was taught in schools again. By the way I never liked Peter Dutton. Cheers Veggie.
 
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Conservative. Regional. Nationals usually because they are the only ones that fight for us regionals. This time I voted an independant who didn't give out how to vote cards. I used my preferential vote to my preferences as everyone should. I don't care who you vote for but I do care about using your own preferences and not some party making out that you need to follow a how to vote card to make a valid vote. It's about time this was taught in schools again. By the way I never liked Peter Dutton. Cheers Veggie.
That’s the problem. Because you don’t personally like Dutton, you are not voting for him, but you are voting for a whole political party. People forget that. People have short memories. If the Coalition government was not in excellent financial condition, the country would be like a third world country. The money dished out by the government to save small businesses during COVID, where would we be now? The other issue, is that Albo did nothing but personally insult and offend Trump after the U.S. election, why in the hell, would Trump treat Albo like a best buddy, and do him any favours at all! Think about it!
 
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That’s the problem. Because you don’t personally like Dutton, you are not voting for him, but you are voting for a whole political party. People forget that. People have short memories. If the Coalition government was not in excellent financial condition, the country would be like a third world country. The money dished out by the government to save small businesses during COVID, where would we be now? The other issue, is that Albo did nothing but personally insult and offend Trump after the U.S. election, why in the hell, would Trump treat Albo like a best buddy, and do him any favours at all! Think about it!
I voted for an independant. I am a conservative. I used my own preferences to complete my vote. Local preferences went with the Nationals. I did not vote Labor. Peter Dutton was not in my electorate so of cause I did not vote for him. When I voted the Nationals were in coalition withe Liberals. You totally got it wrong.
 
It’s really disgusting, especially how some elderly people are treated by the government. Our friends 2 brothers, live in Foster in NSW. Their deceased father’s partner lives alone, and is in her late 80’s. She was uncontactable for days, so a welfare check was made. She was found unconscious, on the floor, and does not remember anything about it. Ambulance was called, and she was taken to ER. Did a few tests, and then she was sent home!!! I think is such a disgrace. There’s a waiting list for 10 months, to even get assessed for home care. An idiot would know that she is unsafe, but does the government care? Of course not. She would be seen as a drain on the system, pensioner, no private insurance. Next fall, she’ll probably die. As a nurse, it breaks my heart to see this happening. Even meals on wheels at a minimum, would ensure that someone checks on her every day. 10 months is a long wait, and I am ashamed of calling Australia, the lucky 🍀 country. Gezzabel.

No the worst PM ever.
He is a bloody idiot and now someone must be on his back because now he is saying he will reduce the amount of immigrants. Too late you silly man you let the highest number ever 1.15 into the country compared to Hawke and Keating 6.646 [not that l like either of them either]
I've just checked to make sure this is right
 
Ian angered that people are still whining about cost of living, but they had a chance to get rid of Airmiles Albo, and still voted him in. There’s a lot of morons in Australia, who are probably regretting voting for him, but they didn’t like the Coalition leader’s personality. Blame these idiots, and expect the lies to continue coming out of Albo’s mouth. He was caught in so many lies during the campaign, and he still got voted in! I hope all those idiots enjoy paying more taxes! Watch out, I will be he raises the GST next! Baby boomers are paying the most tax, because we worked hard and saved, so apparently, we’re rich. Albo should be ashamed of himself. As for his ignorance in defence policies, I pray to God, that next time China circumnavigates Australia, we don’t have to rely on a Virgin Airlines pilot to raise the alarm. Gezzabel.
But isn't it great that the Virgin pilot did see it and made us all aware. We are such a vast country with such a small population, I don't know how you expect it to be or with what that we create such a defence force. And I was married to the navy for a doz years...
 
I voted for Albanese and proud to admit it.

How many in this thread voted for Peter Potatohead?

Nowhere near enough, according to the polls! :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO:

Anybody else prepared to state their political leanings?
Yeah, I did……but it was a toss of a coin for me and fingers crossed that it was the right choice
 

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