Why this Budget matters for expats
The speculation is over. The review window is open.
The 2026 Australian Budget is no longer a headline to watch. It is now a planning event Australian expats need to understand.
From 1 July 2027, Australia will replace the 50% Capital Gains Tax discount with inflation-based cost-base indexation and introduce a minimum 30% tax rate on capital gains. The reforms are prospective, applying to gains arising after 1 July 2027.
Negative gearing is also changing. From 1 July 2027, the rules will be restricted for many residential property investors, with different treatment for new builds and existing arrangements protected under the Budget-night grandfathering rules.
And from the following year, discretionary trusts become part of the reform story, with a new minimum 30% tax framework planned from 2028-29.
For Australians abroad, the practical question is not whether the Budget was good or bad politics.
It is much more personal:
What do these changes mean for your Australian property, your investment portfolio, your trust structure, your tax residency position and your future return-home plans?
That is what this webinar is built to answer
What to take from the hour
Walk away knowing what to review next.
- What changed in the Budget and what did not. A clear breakdown of the confirmed changes to CGT, negative gearing and discretionary trusts, without the noise of the political coverage.
- What to do with Australian property. How the new negative gearing rules may affect existing holdings, future purchases, new builds, established properties and the timing of property decisions.
- How to think about the new CGT framework. What the shift away from the 50% CGT discount means in practice, how the 1 July 2027 timing matters, and why asset-sale planning now needs a fresh review.
- Whether your return-home timeline needs to change. How Budget changes interact with tax residency, main residence questions, worldwide income and the order in which expats should make decisions before moving back.
- What trusts and family structures need to consider. Why discretionary trusts now need attention ahead of the planned 2028-29 minimum tax framework.
- What to act on in the next 90 days. A practical checklist for Australian expats, covering property, investments, tax residency, trusts, return-home planning and adviser conversations.
