Aviation workers, pilots and operators across Australia are facing a sharp increase in the cost of mandatory security identification cards from late June, with the aviation industry warning the hike will compound an already difficult cost environment for general aviation.
From 22 June 2026, the price of an Aviation Security Identification Card will approximately double, rising from $240 to around $480. The increase is driven by the Department of Home Affairs' decision to move AusCheck, the government body that conducts criminal and national security background checks for ASIC applicants, to full cost recovery from 1 July 2026. The background check fee alone is increasing by approximately $169.50 per application.
ASICs are administered under the Aviation Transport Security Act. The fee decision was made by Home Affairs and Treasury as part of the budget process, and was announced immediately after the federal budget, with issuing bodies and industry groups saying they were given no meaningful opportunity to respond before the change was locked in.
Royal Federation of Aero Clubs of Australia president Lachlan Hyde said the sector understood the need for appropriate security measures, but the manner of the increase was unacceptable.
"Doubling the practical cost of an ASIC with limited consultation and short lead time is another direct hit to the people who keep aviation moving," Hyde said.
"This is not just a charge on airline staff. It affects pilots, engineers, instructors, ground staff, charter operators, maintenance businesses and aviation workers across the country, including many people in general aviation who are already operating on tight margins."
Hyde said the increase was part of a broader pattern of cost pressure on the sector.
"General aviation is being hit by a succession of cost increases: fuel, insurance, maintenance, airport charges, proposed annual aircraft registration fees, and now sharply higher ASIC costs. At some point the government needs to recognise that every new charge imposed on aviation flows through to training costs, business viability and the future workforce pipeline."
He also pointed to the 2014 Forsyth Review, which recommended a more risk-based approach to ASIC requirements, limiting mandatory background checks and card requirements to unescorted access to Security Restricted Areas rather than general airside access.
"More than a decade later, instead of implementing that sensible risk-based recommendation, the government is now doubling down on the cost of the same scheme," Hyde said.
Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie, Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, has put questions to the government at this week's Senate estimates hearings. McKenzie's office had initially contacted Australian Flying in relation to the VH registration fee increase, reported here on 14 May. It was during that exchange that the ASIC cost increase was raised, prompting the senator's office to include questions on the issue at estimates. She has asked what consultation was undertaken with industry prior to the decision, what assessment has been made of the cumulative cost impact alongside the proposed annual VH aircraft registration fee (confirmed by CASA last week as commencing from 1 July 2027), and whether the government will consider concessions for small operators and regional aviation workers.
RAAus has launched a public petition, available here, calling on the federal government to review the user-pays model and adopt a fairer funding approach for national security measures. RAAus Deputy Chair Michael Monck said security was a national priority whose cost should be shared fairly, warning the current approach was placing unsustainable pressure on small operators and individuals keeping regional Australia moving.
The Department of Home Affairs and AusCheck have been contacted for comment.