The Newsroom
Latest from WTFBudget
Plain-English coverage of Australia's 2026-27 Federal Budget. Updated continuously as new myths circulate and new measures land.
85,000 companies are getting tax refunds you didn't hear about
Permanent 2-year loss carry-back for companies up to $1B turnover. Plus startup refundability from July 2028.
Commonwealth Rent Assistance — the biggest run of rises in 30 years
Single max rate up >$20/week vs March 2022. First back-to-back rises in 30+ years. 1.4M renters affected.
WTFBudget Editorial
$59.4M to house 4,000+ young Australians aged 16-24
Ring-fenced federal funding via state community housing providers. Targets the Away from Home cohort.
WTFBudget Editorial
$4B over 10 years to halve remote NT housing overcrowding
Joint Commonwealth-NT commitment. $1.087B over 5 years to NT alone. Targets up to ~50% overcrowding in remote communities.
20% of LNG exports reserved for Aussie customers — from July 2027
Supersedes the ADGSM. Producers offer 20% of forecast exports to domestic buyers on commercial terms.
$54.8M early childhood — what it actually funds
Inclusion Support Program top-up + $553.3M Preschool Reform Agreement for 2026-27. 600-hour entitlement intact.
$147B for schools — where the money actually lands
4-year restructured agreement under Full and Fair Funding 2025-2034. $34.4B in 2026-27 with full state breakdown.
$9.4B for VET: which trades get the money?
Reformed agreement + 100,000 Free TAFE places/year from 2027. Centres of Excellence + national credit recognition.
Paid Parental Leave hits 6 months — with super contributions
From 1 July 2026, PPL extends to 26 weeks + 12% super paid on top. Median retirement uplift ~$4,250.
$31.5B
Cash deficit
5%
Peak inflation
$63.8B
Savings found
2034-35
Return to balance
At a glance
What changed?
The six areas that matter most — tap any card to go deeper.
Up to $2,660/yr tax saving
Bracket 1 cut 19%→15% now, then →14% from 2028. $250 Worker Offset added.
Neg. gearing ends on established homes
Existing owners grandfathered. New builds keep full deductibility. 65,000 new homes unlocked.
Fuel, medicine & energy cheaper
PBS cut to $25 · fuel excise halved for 3 months · GP bulk-billing tripled.
CGT rules change 1 July 2027
50% discount replaced by indexation + 30% minimum tax. SMSFs are fully exempt.
26 weeks parental leave
Extended PPL, free RSV vaccine for infants, cheaper childcare, triple bulk-billing.
$25B hospitals · $3.7B aged care
GP visits mostly free · PBS $25 cap · expanded home care packages.
Personalise it
Who are you?
Pick the closest match — see exactly what the budget means in dollar terms.
Around the web
External coverage
Official sources and independent media — all external links open in a new tab.
Official Budget Website
Full Budget Papers, fact sheets, and the official Treasury tax calculator.
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Watch the Budget Speech
Treasurer Jim Chalmers delivers the 2026-27 Budget — 12 May 2026.
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Budget 2026-27 Coverage
Australia's public broadcaster — news, analysis and explainers.
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Australian Budget Analysis
In-depth reporting and commentary from Guardian Australia.
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Budget — Business & Finance
Australian Financial Review coverage for investors and business owners.
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Federal Budget 2026-27
Sydney Morning Herald analysis, calculators and reader Q&A.
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The six pillars
Themes
Fuel Supply and Security
$14.8B Strengthening Australia's Fuel Resilience package responding to the Middle East oil shock
Cost of Living
Tax cuts, halved fuel excise, cheaper medicines, and back-to-back rent assistance uplifts
Productivity
$10.2B/yr regulatory burden cut, R&D reform, AI accelerator and small-business support
Tax Reform
Bracket cuts, $250 WATO, $1,000 instant deduction, CGT indexation, neg-gearing limited to new builds, 30% trust min tax
Care and Opportunity
$3.7B aged care, $25B hospitals, $1.2B Closing the Gap, NDIS reform redirected into Foundational Supports
Security and Investment
$130B AUKUS subs, $77B surface fleet, $1B Boyne Island smelter, $120B+ infrastructure pipeline
For founders
A 320-page playbook for new Aussie businesses
The Budget reads like 350 pages of policy soup. We pulled out the 15 specific business plays the 2026-27 stack actually rewards — every one with a 5-year financial model, state-by-state notes, and the dollar-arithmetic traps that cost real money. Spreadsheets and the accountant prep printable are bundled in.
Interactive tool
Estimate your impact
Run your income, investments and trusts through the budget changes. Compare 2023-24 baseline against 2026-27 and 2027-28 with bracket cuts, WATO, instant deduction, CGT reform, negative gearing, trusts and EV FBT.
Stylised estimates — not tax advice
Source material
Budget Papers
Summaries of all four Budget Papers and the Women's Budget Statement — every figure linked to the official PDF.
Overview & Fiscal Outlook (BP1)
GDP growth, deficit, debt, the five pillars and the budget's savings — direct from Budget Paper 1
Budget Measures (BP2)
Every receipt and payment measure indexed by portfolio with cost lines
Federal Financial Relations (BP3)
$207.8B in payments to states, GST entitlements and the National Agreements
Agency Resourcing (BP4)
Public-service capability rebuild — 13,200 in-house roles since 2022, $14.8B saved on external labour
Women's Budget Statement
Labour-force gap at record low, 6.3M women receive WATO, $218.3M for First Nations women & children safety