12/05/2026
Budget Summary
The 2026-27 Australian Federal Budget, delivered tonight by Treasurer Jim Chalmers, is being framed as an ambitious plan focused on structural reform, cost-of-living relief, and housing market rebalancing.
Here are the key highlights and figures from the announcement:
1. Major Property & Tax Reforms
The government has introduced significant changes to property tax settings, aimed at helping first-home buyers and younger Australians:
• **Negative Gearing: Benefits will now be limited to newly built properties only. This is a major policy shift designed to incentivise new housing supply rather than competition for existing stock.
• Capital Gains Tax (CGT): The 50% CGT discount for property investors is being wound back for future transactions on established homes.
• Income Tax Cuts: The lowest marginal tax rate (for incomes between $18,201 and $45,000) will be cut from 16% to 15% starting July 1, 2026, and further to 14% in 2027.
2. Cost-of-Living Measures
• Energy & Fuel: A $2.55 billion package will cut the fuel excise for three months to buffer against global energy shocks.
• Tax Rebates: A new permanent $250 tax offset for working Australians has been introduced, alongside a $1,000 instant tax deduction for eligible workers.
• Medicare: The Medicare levy low-income threshold has been increased by 4.7%, exempting more low-income earners from the levy.
3. Housing & Infrastructure
• Housing Supply: An additional $2 billion has been allocated for "enabling infrastructure" (water, sewerage, etc.) to unlock an estimated 65,000 new homes over the next decade.
• Rent Assistance: Continued increases to the maximum rates of Commonwealth Rent Assistance to support the 2.9 million renting households.
4. National Security & Social Services
• Defence Spending: An extra $53 billion will be spent over the next decade, with a focus on drones and the AUKUS nuclear submarine project.
• NDIS Reform: The government is moving to cap the growth of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) to 2% per year, down from over 10%. This is expected to remove approximately 160,000 people from the scheme to ensure its long-term sustainability.
• Counter-Terrorism: $74 million will be used to establish a new national centre to combat terrorism and online threats.
5. Small Business Support
• Instant Asset Write-off: The $20,000 instant asset write-off for small businesses has been made permanent, providing more certainty for equipment and tech upgrades.