Happy New Year and welcome to our first article for 2026. As the year gets underway, there are important changes ahead that will affect how businesses operate and manage risk across our region and here’s what’s ahead for broader business regulatory reforms in 2026.
Superannuation “Payday Super” reform commencing from 1 July 2026
From 1 July 2026, the Superannuation Guarantee contributions much reach employee’s funds within 7 days of each payday, rather than being paid quarterly.
The ATO has already stopped accepting new users for the Small Business Superannuation Clearing House since October 2025 and it will close on 1 July 2026.
You can start preparing for these changes now by reviewing all the details at ATO – Super for Employers.
Mandatory Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) recycling from July 2026
Businesses who handle food (ie hospitality businesses, aged care, child care, schools, hotels or motel accommodation, etc) will be required to have a separate bin and collection contract for food waste, but it will a staged approach depending on a businesses’ weekly residual bin volumes. For further information, visit the EPA website.
Anti-Money Laundering reforms (Tranche 2) for Professional Services businesses from 1 July 2026
Professional Service businesses (ie Real Estate Agents, Lawyers, Accountants, Conveyancers, Trust and Company Service providers and Dealers in precious stones, metals and products) must meet these AUSTRAC AML/CTF obligations.
We encourage these businesses to seek out further information on what you need to be doing now to ensure you meet these obligations. Further information can be found on the AUSTRAC website.
Updated Rules for Building Professionals
There are several regulations that apply to building professionals which have been amended and are due to commence from 1 July 2026. For further information, please see information from Building Commission NSW.
And in other news and in case you missed it, a workers’ compensation deal was finally secured late last year. This means premiums will be frozen for the next 18 months, which is a great outcome for businesses across NSW.
And finally, the Western NSW Business Awards will open for submissions on Monday 2 February 2026 and if you are interested in entering this year, please reach out to myself or Georgie Dickson for further information via wnswevents@businessnsw.com.
| VICKI SECCOMBE Regional Director – Western NSW |
