Oceania: Government, Public Sector

On 12 May 2026, Treasurer Jim Chalmers handed down what he described as “the most important and ambitious Budget in decades”. The backdrop was demanding: a global oil shock driven by conflict in the Middle East, headline inflation forecast to reach 5% by mid-2026, and sustained cost-of-living pressure on households and businesses.

The 2026-27 Federal Budget faces the challenge of balancing ambition with caution amid geopolitical and economic uncertainty. With rumoured reforms to capital gains tax discounts, trust taxation, and negative gearing on the table, businesses are seeking clarity on policy settings that could fundamentally reshape investment structures and tax planning strategies. Will the government pursue transformative reform or opt for measured adjustments to strengthen national resilience?

Australia's 2026-27 federal budget introduces sweeping immigration reforms that will reshape how skilled workers are selected, where temporary visa holders can buy property, and how quickly migrant tradespeople can enter the workforce. The changes mark the first overhaul of the skilled migration points test in over a decade and signal a strategic shift toward prioritizing onshore applicants already living in Australia. What do these policy adjustments mean for employers, migrants, and the broader trajectory

Australia's fight against money laundering relies on public-private information sharing through the Fintel Alliance, but regulatory barriers and privacy considerations create challenges. How can Australia expand collaboration beyond current ring-fenced arrangements to strengthen financial crime prevention while protecting consumer privacy?

New Zealand's anti-money laundering and counter-financing of terrorism framework is undergoing significant transformation as the Department of Internal Affairs assumes sole supervisory authority with enhanced enforcement capabilities. The reforms introduce risk-based compliance settings, extended reporting timeframes, and stricter obligations for reporting entities to align their risk assessments with regulatory perspectives.

Financial crime prevention is shifting from compliance-focused frameworks to outcomes-driven regulation that prioritizes measurable harm reduction. Organizations must now demonstrate how their controls disrupt criminal networks and protect victims, not just meet reporting obligations.

The State of Western Australia and the Yindjibarndi Ngurra Aboriginal Corporation have both filed appeals against a landmark Federal Court decision awarding $150 million in compensation for cultural loss caused by mining operations in the Pilbara region. This unprecedented case marks the first judicial determination of native title compensation for future acts and the largest cultural loss award in Australian history, establishing critical precedents for how compensation is assessed when native title rights

Applications under the Act can result in significant implications for project delivery and provide an avenue for Traditional Owners to seek protections when state law does not do so.

The NSW Government has begun consulting with native title groups on developing a new policy for how native title claims could be settled in NSW.

The Supreme Court of New South Wales recently refused to impose strict post-release supervision on a young man convicted of vandalism and arson, finding that his anti-Israel graffiti constituted political expression rather than antisemitic hate speech. This landmark judgment clarifies the legal boundaries between criticism of a foreign state and racial or religious hatred, while rejecting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition of antisemitism as too imprecise for Australian la

The second phase of New South Wales' most expansive overhaul of firearms regulation recently took place, marking the biggest leap in firearms and gun licence laws since the 1996 Port Arthur massacre. The reforms are enshrined in the Terrorism and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2025 (NSW), and were passed in an emergency sitting just days after the Bondi Beach terror attack in December 2025.

The Australian Government's 2026 Defence Industry Development Strategy outlines a comprehensive action plan to strengthen the nation's sovereign defence industrial base through procurement reform, industrial growth initiatives, and enhanced export capabilities. How will the establishment of the Defence Industry Hub, Industrial Development Agreements, and the new Defence Delivery Agency reshape Australia's defence sector and accelerate capability delivery?