{"id":559458,"date":"2026-06-29T06:34:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T06:34:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/559458\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T06:34:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T06:34:19","slug":"australian-businesses-and-workers-face-big-changes-from-july-1-heres-what-you-need-to-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/559458\/","title":{"rendered":"Australian businesses and workers face big changes from July 1. Here’s what you need to know"},"content":{"rendered":"

July 1 ushers in a new financial year \u2013 and a raft of changes that will affect both workers and businesses.<\/p>\n

From changes in superannuation payments and parental leave to an above-inflation increase in the minimum wage, here\u2019s what you need to know.<\/p>\n

Modest tax cuts are coming<\/p>\n

From July 1, the current lowest income tax rate<\/a>, which applies to income from A$18,201 to $45,000, will be reduced<\/a> from 16% to 15%.<\/p>\n

So a person earning $45,000 or more will save $268 a year.<\/p>\n

New \u2018instant\u2019 $1,000 tax deduction<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re someone who hates keeping track of receipts, there\u2019s good news.<\/p>\n

While it still has to pass parliament, the federal government has proposed an \u201cinstant\u201d $1,000 work-related tax deduction<\/a> to start this financial year. That\u2019s higher than the little-known $300 limit<\/a> on receipt-free work deductions available already.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s forecast to leave about 6.2 million Australians better off than now.<\/p>\n

But be warned: if you\u2019re among the majority of Australians who claim more than $1,000 in work expenses, you\u2019ll be better off still collecting those receipts and claiming the way you have before.<\/p>\n

National minimum wage increase<\/p>\n

Around 2.8 million of Australia\u2019s lowest-paid workers will get a 4.75% pay rise from July 1. The very lowest-paid workers \u2013 about 100,000 people on entry-level and minimum pay \u2013 get a bigger 5.97% pay bump.<\/p>\n

The national minimum wage will rise from $24.95 an hour to $26.44, or up from $948 a week to $1,004.90 per week.<\/p>\n

Yet even after the new rises, Australia\u2019s lowest-paid employees will still have less buying power at the shops than they did five years ago.<\/p>\n

Payday super<\/p>\n

From July 1, all Australian businesses need to pay their employees\u2019 superannuation on the same day as they pay salaries. It\u2019s expected to leave ordinary workers thousands of dollars better off in the long term, while guarding against a persistent problem of super being underpaid.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re an employer worried about meeting the July 1 deadline, you can find more resources here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Parental leave pay changes<\/p>\n

The length of paid parental leave is increasing<\/a> slightly, by ten days, to a total of 26 weeks from July 1, and the payment will increase to $1,004.70 per week.<\/p>\n

The government says this will provide families with more financial support and parents will still need to meet an income test<\/a> and work test<\/a>. <\/p>\n

There\u2019s more information for employers on how the scheme works here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Instant asset write-off extended<\/p>\n

For small businesses, an instant writeoff for assets<\/a> costing less than A$20,000 will be extended permanently from July 1. This applies to small businesses with annual turnover of less than $10 million.<\/p>\n

SMS register to fight scams<\/p>\n

For years, scammers have used a simple trick to lure people into clicking links they shouldn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

You get a message from \u201cAusGov\u201d and assume it\u2019s from the Australian government. In fact, that\u2019s a fake \u201csender ID<\/a>\u201d \u2013 the identity of who\u2019s sending a text \u2013 close enough to the real \u201cmyGov\u201d that it has fooled people.<\/p>\n

From July 1, those scam text messages should show up on your phone under a single, \u201cunverified\u201d message thread.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>An example sent by mobile phone provider Aldi Mobile to its customers ahead of the July 1 change. Aldi Mobile\/The Conversation<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s a welcome move, it is expected to catch some businesses and community groups off-guard. If they haven\u2019t registered their legitimate sender ID<\/a> by July 1, their messages risk ending up in that \u201cunverified\u201d scam thread too.<\/p>\n

Supermarket price-gouging law<\/p>\n

From July 1, it will be harder for our two largest supermarkets \u2013 Coles and Woolworths \u2013 to charge \u201cexcessive prices\u201d. A new law has been brought in to increase scrutiny on their pricing practices, following similar rules in the European Union.<\/p>\n

Penalties will apply for any breach, although \u201cexcessive pricing\u201d may be difficult to prove.<\/p>\n

Anti-money laundering rules widened<\/p>\n

Updated laws covering anti-money laundering and counterterrorism financing (known as \u201cAML\/CTF\u201d) will apply to more businesses from July 1.<\/p>\n

The rules will now apply<\/a> to real estate professionals, lawyers, accountants and conveyancers and some other businesses. These services will need to register with the regulator, AUSTRAC, and meet certain requirements, such as checking the identity of customers and reporting certain transactions. <\/p>\n

AUSTRAC explains the changes.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s not changing from July 1<\/p>\n