Our latest insights

With the Australian economy the weakest it has been in 23 years, Labor has handed down its third Federal Budget delivering its second consecutive surplus, and setting the Government’s agenda as we head into an election cycle.

The Australian Government has allocated $167.8m in the Federal Budget to support the implementation of the wide-ranging reforms to the anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (AML/CTF) regime.

This year’s Federal Budget announced a raft of tax changes including Stage 3 tax cuts, extending the instant asset write-off, tax incentives as part of the Future Made in Australia package and changes to the foreign resident capital gains tax regime, among others.

Ten years after the implementation of the Living Longer. Living Better Reforms, the aged care sector braces for more change. With the Federal Budget on the horizon, it will be interesting to see what considerations are given to a sector that faces continued uncertainty.

With the Australian economy the weakest it has been in 23 years, Labor has handed down its third Federal Budget delivering its second consecutive surplus, and setting the Government’s agenda as we head into an election cycle.

Currently, businesses who meet reporting thresholds will need to report on material climate-related risks and opportunities, including metrics and targets related to Scopes 1, 2, and 3 emissions from 1 July 2025.

The recently announced ‘Future Made in Australia Act’ underscores the Government’s commitment to the manufacturing re-shoring objective, demonstrating a willingness to adopt an interventionist approach to safeguard and build our sovereign capabilities, ensure our competitiveness with neighbouring countries, and allies and guard against growing geo-political tensions.

While tax reform has been widely discussed throughout the political landscape since the Henry Tax Review was released 14 years ago, it is becoming an increasingly emphasised in recent years due to questions around the efficiency of the Australian taxation system, particularly in relation to the heavy reliance on personal income taxes and the sustainability around this for the future.

The high level of ATO activity in the multinational space is undoubtedly underpinned by the significantly increased funding it has received from the Australian Government since 2016. What can we expect in the May 2024 Federal Budget?

Treasury has recently released for consultation two draft Bills, announced as part of the 2023-24 Budget, to implement incentives for new Build-to-rent (“BTR”) developments. This forms part of the Governments key policy of increasing housing supply across Australia by stimulating interest in the BTR sector.

STAI, a SingTel subsidiary, lost its court appeal, highlighting ATO’s focus on tax avoidance. STAI owes ATO $268m in tax and $125m in penalties due to debt deductions. The court found STAI paid excessive interest, benefiting SingTel.

Navigating the funding landscape can be tricky for biotech companies at all stages, from initial research and clinical trials to scaling up capabilities. Our recent roundtable discussions with over 90 Biotech CEOs, held in partnership with AusBiotech, shed light on the challenges and opportunities shaping the industry.