‘Carry back’ of losses

The government has announced a new, permanent carry back tax loss mechanism for companies with an aggregated annual global turnover of less than $1 billion. The measure will apply for tax years commencing on or after 1 July 2026.  

Non-concessional managed investment trust income

For entities that own facilities that are not economic infrastructure facilities, the seven-year transitional relief period for managed investment trust (MIT) cross-staple arrangement income is due to expire on 30 June 2026. This means that the effective tax rate for foreign investors will increase from 15% to 30%. 

Spam Act

From 1 July 2026, text messages with an organisation’s name at the top of a message will need to have the sender ID registered on the SMS Sender ID Register as part of the Australian government’s ‘Fighting Scams’ initiative. 

Modern slavery procurement requirements

From 1 July 2026, New South Wales government agencies will need to include heightened modern slavery clauses in tenders for high-risk procurement categories, which includes certain construction materials, facilities and buildings management services, ICT equipment and fleet vehicles.

Climate-related financial disclosures

Group 2 companies, registered schemes, registered superannuation entities, and disclosing entities commence their reporting period. 

AML/CTF Act

When the Tranche 2 entities’ provisions commence on 1 July 2026, the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (Cth) will apply to new gatekeeper professions, including accounting firms, law firms, real estate and precious metal and stone dealers. 

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act reforms

The National Environmental Protection Agency Act 2025 and Environment Information Australia Act 2025 will commence on 1 July 2026, together with parts of the Reform Act that relate to the NEPA. 1 July will see the establishment of the National Environmental Protection Agency (National EPA) and the statutory head of Environment Information Australia (EIA). 

Payday super

From 1 July 2026, employers will be required to pay employees' super at the same time they pay their wages. 

EPBC Act reforms: consultation on proposed regulations to support final tranche of reforms

Four new consultation papers set out the proposed regulatory settings to support the final tranche of Australia's environment protection reforms under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.

Merger reform update: critical amendments to Australia’s merger regime passed by Parliament

Critical amendments to Australia's merger regime partially address consequences of overcapture.

EPBC Act: New National Environmental Standards and commencement of further reforms

Australia’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 reforms continue to progress, with the commencement of further provisions and the introduction of four new National Environmental Standards.

NSW data centre guidelines and network connection consultation paper

The NSW Government has released a significant new policy framework for data centre investment, following the federal government’s recent announcement discussing a national planning and approvals framework for data centres.

Security of Critical Infrastructure: Tranche 2 reforms

The second tranche of proposed amendments to the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act 2018 represents the most significant proposed structural reform to Australia's critical infrastructure regulatory framework since the Act was amended in 2021–2022.

Five decisions that will define Australia’s AI future

Prime Minister Albanese’s speech on 15 July 2026 marked a decisive shift in Australia’s approach to artificial intelligence (AI), from voluntary guidance to mandatory national regulation.

Federal Court clarifies loss transfer cancellations: A win by retaining losses

The Federal Court of Australia has delivered judgment in Evolution Mining Limited v Commissioner of Taxation [2026] FCA 935, determining that a choice made in a particular tax return did not effectively cancel a prior transfer of certain tax losses. Corrs acted for the successful taxpayer, Evolution Mining Limited.

Balancing innovation and oversight: cryptocurrency regulation in Australia

New corporate licensing and anti-money laundering and counter terrorism financing laws mean cryptocurrency exchanges are facing increasing regulation in Australia.

Security of Critical Infrastructure: proposed changes to Critical Infrastructure Risk Management Program and enhanced Ministerial Powers

Following an independent review into the Security of Critical Infrastructure Act 2018, the Department of Home Affairs recently released the first in a series of proposed changes aimed at implementing a comprehensive legislative restructure.

Capital gains tax and negative gearing amendments: key changes and implications

The federal government introduced a Bill to Parliament to give effect to wide-ranging capital gains tax (CGT) and negative gearing amendments.

Developing the Scams Prevention Framework: Treasury consults on draft rules and codes

With the Federal Government now designating the banking, digital platforms, and telecommunications sectors under Australia’s new Scams Prevention Framework, Treasury has opened consultations on a suite of draft codes and rules for these sectors.

Australian privacy compliance: four key developments in 2026

Businesses face a wave of new compliance obligations. Privacy Awareness Week is the moment for organisations to cut through the noise, assess their exposure, and take decisive action.

OAIC's Children's Online Privacy exposure draft: from consultation to code

The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner released an exposure draft of the proposed Privacy (Children's Online Privacy) Code 2026 for public consultation.