Turnbull's government being urged to stop using Aussie travelers for profit

The Australian passport has been labelled the most expensive in the world after it hiked to $282 at the start of the year- up from $277.

Analysis by The New Daily suggests it's the highest price for a travel document globally, bar the cost of a Syrian passport for citizens living outside the war-torn country.

Malcolm Turnbull's government is being urged to stop using travellers for profit.

The Australian passport has been called the most expensive in the world (pictured)

In 2015 Australian passports were ranked the second-most expensive, behind Turkey.

The Turkish government lists the maximum cost of one of their passports at 764 Turkish Lira - or $255.

Amid the ongoing war the Syrian government charges $500 for one of theirs - even thought it's one of the weakest in the world. The fee goes primarily on the cost of a trying to obtain a new document at an overseas consulate, such as in Turkey.

All three nations' passport fees far exceed a Swiss one, who's citizens fork out around $180 for a new passport.

Syrian government charges $500 for a passport (pictured) even thought it's one of the weakest in the world

The Australian Federation of Travel Agents has called on the government to freeze passport fees at existing levels: 'We believe the ongoing increase has gone far enough,' AFTA spokesman Dean Long told the publication.

Countries such as New Zealand and Canada see passports as a 'cost recovery exercise' while Australia uses it to raise revenue.

A DFAT spokesman said the fee reflected 'the quality of the documents produced and the standard of service delivered by the Australian Passport Office'.

Germany topped the list of most powerful passports, followed by Singapore. A few countries including the UK, Japan and France tied for third. A German passport costs about $120.