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Legislation and Parliamentary Matters

Comments on February 2026 Senate Economics Legislation Committee discussion on R&D Tax Incentive

February 13th, 2026

As reported in the media this week, the Senate Economics Legislation Committee discussed the administration of the R&D Tax Incentive. Swanson Reed has reviewed the discussion in detail. It involved interactions between three people, whose comments are summarised and paraphrased below: Greens Senator Barbara Pocock: Had queries around how many reviews are conducted each year; Queried whether staff conducting reviews include personnel with Science and Engineering qualifications; Asked for details of fines or penalties for incorrect claims, and indicated concerns that possible penalties […]

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Consultation on exposure draft for exclusion of gambling and tobacco companies under the R&D Tax Incentive

February 9th, 2026

The December 2024 Mid‑Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) was released by the Government on 18 December 2024 and announced that The Government will exclude activities related to gambling and tobacco from Research and Development Tax Incentive eligibility for income years starting on or after 1 July 2025. The Government then released an exposure draft in December 2025, releasing Treasury Laws Amendment Bill 2025: Exclusion of tobacco and gambling related activities from the Research and Development Tax Incentive which is the legislative instrument that would […]

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If R&D Tax Law is going to be changed effective 1 July, (as announced in the FY25 MYEFO), how about making these changes too?

January 30th, 2025

A surprising announcement was made by The Government in the FY25 MYEFO released in late December 2024, which took the unprecedented step of announcing an eligibility restriction to be applied to specific sectors. The MYEFO budget papers noted: The Government will exclude activities related to gambling and tobacco from Research and Development Tax Incentive eligibility for income years starting on or after 1 July 2025. Research and development activities related to gambling can exacerbate addiction and associated harms, while activities related […]

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Potential Impact of Incoming US Government on Australian Business and R&D Tax Policy

January 20th, 2025

Following the US election in 2024, a new Government will be installed in the US during January 2025. The impact of the new Trump Government on US R&D and tax policy is not immediately clear, and it may impact some industries differently to others. Possible impacts may include: there will be a clear push to favor US based manufacturing via tax and tariff measures; media commentary notes that the incoming US president is expected to reduce support for research on the environment […]

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