26/05/2026
Nationwide law changes 1 July 2026
This month’s budget announcements are likely to impact a number of legal services we provide, from legal structure advice through to wills and estates. These changes are still to be passed through Parliament, and we will write more about this in the future.
A new national minimum wage is expected to take effect from the first full pay period on or after 1 July, with an increase of between 3–4% anticipated. The exact figure will be confirmed by the Fair Work Commission in June 2026 and we will provide an update next month.
The changes we can report on now are as follows:
Superannuation — Payday Super
From 1 July 2026, employers will be required to pay superannuation at the same time as salary and wages, replacing the current system that allows quarterly payments. Super contributions must be received by the employee’s fund within seven business days of payday, or the employer will be liable for the superannuation guarantee charge.
Some exceptions apply, including payments to new employees with less than two weeks’ tenure, and small or irregular payments outside a normal pay cycle such as one-off bonuses. To avoid penalties, we recommend you seek advice if you believe an exemption applies.
In another change, for quarters up to and including 30 June 2026, the maximum contribution base is a quarterly earnings amount, however this moves to an annual amount from 1 July 2026. If your payments of qualifying earnings to your employee reach the maximum contribution base in a financial year, you can stop paying the minimum super guarantee contributions for the employee for that year (unless your employment contract requires you to pay qualifying employees amounts beyond the super guarantee amount).
Paid Parental Leave (PPL)
The following changes to paid parental leave (PPL) come into force:
- Eligible parents will be able to access up to 26 weeks of government-funded PPL — up from 24 weeks in 2025 (an extra 10 days).
- The amount of leave reserved for each parent in a couple on a use-it-or-lose-it basis increases from three to four weeks. Single parents receive the full 26 weeks.
- Parents on paid parental leave will also receive superannuation, with the ATO automatically paying contributions directly to the employee’s super fund after the end of the relevant financial year.
Changes to how we identify clients
We become reporting entities under AUSTRAC’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regime come 1 July. The services we provide that are “designated services” under the regime include:
- Buying, selling and transferring property
- Company set up and transfers
- Business sales and acquisitions
- Estate administration
For those engaging us for these designated services, the regime will impact the client experience because we are required to:
- Undertake identity verification checks
- Ask questions around the source of funds
- Ask if you are a political connected person
- May be delays if checks are not completed
We will endeavour to make the new processes as simple and streamlined as possible.
You can read our Insight article on AML/CTF from last month here: How new AUSTRAC anti-money laundering obligations will impact our clients
ACT law changes 1 July 2026
Procurement Rules
Changes to ACT’s procurement rules commence on 1 July 2026. The primary objective of these changes is to simplify engagement with government procurement processes for local businesses.
As part of these reforms, the requirements relating to written contracts and quotations from suppliers have been updated. Written procurement contracts will no longer be required for procurements valued below $500, and only a single verbal quotation will be required for these low-value procurements.
New options for limited tender procurements are also being introduced. Instead of seeking 3 written quotations, agencies may instead obtain:
- one written quotation from a certified Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander business; and/or
- one written quotation from a small or medium-sized enterprise that is based in the ACT or surrounding region.
The new rules do not remove the requirement for obtaining 3 quotations from entities that do not fall within the above categories for a limited tender procurement. There are no changes to open tender procurements.
In addition to the above updates, some of the definitions in the Act have been expanded. Most notably, the definition of ‘confidential text’ has been expanded to include an individual’s name which will further protect the privacy of individuals. The ‘entity based in the ACT or surrounding region’ definition has also been expanded to reflect the relevant local government areas. Some of these areas include Bega Valley, Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional, Snowy Monaro Regional and Yass Valley.
These updates simplify the administrative requirements for low-value/low-risk procurements with small, medium and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses. For further advice on how this affects you, contact our knowledgeable procurement team at Griffin Legal.
Long Service Leave
Importantly, the ACT’s portable long service leave scheme expansion to include food and accommodation services (hospitality) and hairdressing and beauty services from 1 July 2026 has been delayed until 1 January 2027.
Payroll Tax
There are payroll tax changes for businesses, with the threshold for payment dropping to $1.75 million of wages. For businesses with wages of less than $20 million, the rate of tax also drops to 6.75%, down from 6.85% of the organisation’s Australia wide wages bill.
Victorian law changes 1 July 2026
Work-from home laws
It is expected that in July 2026 the Victorian government will introduce amendments to the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic), enshrining an employee’s right to work from home at least two days per week. It is proposed this requirement will come into force from 1 September 2026, or 1 July 2027 for small business employers with less than 15 employees
Retirement village reforms
From 1 September 2026, retirement villages in Victoria must use a new standard form contract contained in the Retirement Villages Regulations 2026 (Vic.). This is one part of broader reforms to retirement village practices implemented in Victoria since 1 May 2026 with intention to protect individuals in retirement villages.