Technical Summit 2025 Program
20 CPD hours will be on offer across the Technical Summit.
Click to view session details below
Please note, program is subject to change. Time is in AEST.
Day 1 - Wednesday 6 AUGUST 2025
8:30am - 9:50am
exhibition opens
9:50am - 10:00am
WELCOME
10:00am - 10:55am
SMSF Legislative Update: What You Need To Know
Peter Burgess, CEO, SMSF Association
SMSF Legislative Update: What You Need To Know
Wednesday 6 August 2025
10.00am – 10.55am
1 CPD hour
Session Details
Join SMSF Association CEO, Peter Burgess, as he opens the 2025 Technical Summit with his highly anticipated keynote address – an authoritative deep dive into the latest legislative, regulatory and policy developments shaping the SMSF and broader superannuation landscape.
Peter will cut through the complexity to deliver expert analysis of the most significant developments – from enacted legislation to proposed reforms still under consultation. He’ll provide context around Treasury proposals, ATO rulings, and draft laws, offering insight into how these changes may reshape SMSF strategy, compliance, and client advice.
More than just a legislative briefing, this keynote sets the strategic direction for the Technical Summit – highlighting key issues that will be explored in greater depth across workshops and technical sessions throughout the program.
10:55am - 11:25am
MORNING TEA
11:25am - 1:15pm
Contributions In Focus: What Works, What Fails, And Why
Jemma Sanderson, Director, Cooper Partners Pty Ltd
Contributions In Focus: What Works, What Fails, And Why
Wednesday 6 August 2025
11:25am – 1:15pm
2 CPD hours
Session Details
This workshop is designed to equip you with sharper contribution strategies, and real-world solutions to complex client scenarios. Jemma will draw on her technical expertise to guide you through case studies, peer discussions, and practical applications that highlight the key risks to avoid and opportunities to leverage to maximise your clients’ retirement savings.
Expect to explore current problem areas facing SMSF professionals – from compliance challenges and structuring traps to documentation shortfalls. The workshop format allows Jemma to go beyond the surface, unpacking “how” and “why” things go wrong, and what to do about it before the auditor or ATO gets involved.
Whether it’s new legislation, practical risk areas, or evolving client behaviours when it comes to funding retirement, this is your opportunity to stress-test your technical knowledge and professional judgement in a collaborative learning environment.
SMSF Loans And Related Entity Dealings
Shelley Banton, Head of Technical, ASF Audits
SMSF Loans And Related Entity Dealings
Wednesday 6 August 2025
11:25am – 1:15pm
2 CPD hours
Session Details
SMSFs don’t operate in a vacuum. From related party loans to business real property and partnerships, the boundaries of what’s allowed – and what’s not – are tested every day. This practical workshop will unpack the complex rules governing dealings with related parties and related entities, with a particular focus on loans, including:
- When an SMSF can lend to or borrow from related parties – and when it can’t
- Unpacking LRBAs: structure, pitfalls, and practical considerations
- How related entities come into play in joint ventures, partnerships, and property deals
- The tests that matter: control, influence, and ‘in-house asset’ thresholds
- Structuring with care: lessons from ATO scrutiny and recent compliance actions
- Common errors and how to fix them before the auditor or regulator steps in
With case studies and real-life scenarios, this session will help you navigate the grey zones and keep your clients’ funds on the right side of the law.
1:15pm - 2:15pm
LUNCH
2:15pm - 3:10pm
3:10pm - 4:05pm
SMSFs, BRP & The Family Legacy
Tracey Besters, Director, Tracey Besters Consulting
SMSFs, BRP & The Family Legacy
Wednesday 6 August 2025
2:15pm – 3:10pm
1 CPD hour
Session Details
As the ‘Great Wealth Transfer’ accelerates, a looming question faces many SMSFs: what happens to the business real property (BRP) inside the fund when the founding generation is gone?
This timely technical session explores the risks and realities of holding business premises – directly or through related entities – within an SMSF, and the challenges of unwinding or passing on these assets in a way that protects both the fund and the family business. With SMSFs often used to house critical commercial property, failure to plan the “exit” can derail succession, disrupt operations, and trigger unintended tax and compliance consequences.
Tracey will examine whether strategies like intergenerational SMSFs solve the problem or simply delay it, how related entities come into play, and whether your clients are genuinely future-proofing their SMSF – or just kicking the can down the road.
Coming soon
THE SMSF ADVANTAGE: LATEST RESEARCH AND EMERGING TRENDS
Wednesday 6 August 2025
3:10pm – 4:05pm
1 CPD hour
Session Details
WORKSHOP 3
Cognitive Decline In SMSFs: Legal Risk, Client Care And Adviser Readiness
Peter Bobbin, Consultant Lawyers, Bobbin Lawyers
Cognitive Decline In SMSFs: Legal Risk, Client Care And Adviser Readiness
Wednesday 6 August 2025
2:15pm – 4:05pm
2 CPD hours
Session Details
Cognitive decline is no longer a rare scenario – it’s a growing reality for SMSF trustees. With members also controllers of SMSFs, cognitive and capacity issues present both legal and practical risks that as professionals, you must be equipped to recognise and manage.
This workshop tackles cognitive decline from two critical perspectives:
- The client perspective – supporting SMSF members as they experience capacity decline
- The adviser perspective – understanding your legal duties, managing risk, and becoming disability-ready in your practice
Drawing on real cases, this workshop will explore how to identify early signs of cognitive impairment, when to act, how to document decisions, and how to protect both your clients and your own advice process. You’ll also learn how to implement decline planning strategies, manage power of attorney issues, and review trustee appointment structures before problems arise.
Whether it’s elder abuse, instruction risk, or professional negligence exposure – this is a practical workshop that empowers SMSF professionals to be ready, responsible, and resilient in supporting vulnerable clients.
4:05pm - 4:35pm
AFTERNOON TEA
4:35pm - 5:30pm
Craig Day, Executive Director, Colonial First State
Wednesday 6 August 2025
4:35pm – 5:30pm
1 CPD hour
Session Details
More information coming soon.
5:30pm - 7:30pm
Class Networking function
Day 2 - Thursday 7 AUGUST 2025
8:30am
Exhibition opens
9:00am - 9:55am
Where Aged Care Meets SMSF Advice
Louise Biti, Director, Aged Care Steps
Where Aged Care Meets SMSF Advice
Thursday 7 August 2025
9:00am – 9:55am
1 CPD hour
Session Details
Aged care isn’t a niche issue — it’s the next big test of retirement strategy. With more Australians living longer and needing higher levels of care later in life, SMSF professionals are uniquely positioned to guide clients through one of the most complex and emotionally charged financial decisions they’ll ever face.
In this thought-provoking keynote, leading aged care specialist Louise Biti will challenge SMSF professionals to shift their lens: from retirement planning to aged care readiness. You’ll learn how the advice you give and the decisions clients make have many facets and interlocking components – and clients can either be well prepared or heading for disaster.
Whether your clients are heading toward the later stages of retirement or helping ageing parents, this session will show you why aged care strategy isn’t optional – it’s a critical part of SMSF advice.
If you’re serious about holistic retirement planning, this is a session you can’t afford to miss.
9:55am - 10:25am
MORNING TEA
10:25am - 11:20am
11:20am - 12:15pm
Do You Know Where The Line Is When Providing Advice?
Keddie Waller, Policy Manager, SMSF Association
Do You Know Where The Line Is When Providing Advice
Thursday 7 August 2025
10.25am – 11.20am
1 CPD Hour
Session Details
The regulatory landscape in which accountants, financial advisers,lawyers and tax agents operate have been built in silos, yet inevitably intersect when providing advice and services to clients. Understanding how to naviagte the regulatory boundaries is complex, even more so if you wear more than one hat. Adding to the challenge is that many clients do not understand who can provide them different types of advice, and often expect you can service their every advice need. Yet the line is not always black and white, and the penalites and consequences you can face for providing advice and services you are not authorised or licensed for can be significant.
In this session we will explore the boundaries of the different regulatory regimes relevant to SMSF professionals, including what exemptions apply in different capacities and scenaries. We will use examples to demonstrate what you can and cannot say to help you navigage client conversations in practice.
Join this session to gain a clearer understand of what advice you can provide your clients and avoid breaching your professional and statutory obligations.
Coming soon
TITLE COMING SOON
Thursday 7 August 2025
11:20am – 12:15pm
1 CPD hour
Session Details
More information coming soon.
WORKSHOP 4
SMSF Pensions: The Next Chapter
Leigh Mansell, Director SMSF Technical & Education Services, Heffron
SMSF Pensions: The Next Chapter
Thursday 7 August 2025
10.25am – 12:15pm
2 CPD Hours
Session Details
This workshop covers everything SMSF specialists need to know about pensions – from establishment and ongoing management to restructuring in response to change. With limited opportunities to restructure legacy pensions, the threat of Division 296, and shifting ATO views on failed pension payments, staying ahead of the curve is more important than ever.
Led by Leigh Mansell, the workshop will explore account-based pensions, market linked pensions, reversionary rules, minimum drawdowns, tax considerations, and the importance of robust documentation. A holistic perspective will be applied, examining both member-level strategies and fund-level obligations throughout the pension lifecycle.
Using real case studies and interactive discussion, this workshop will provide practical guidance on navigating complexity, avoiding compliance pitfalls, and strengthening retirement outcomes for your clients.
12:15pm - 1:15pm
LUNCH
1:15pm - 3:05pm
Coming Unstuck: Navigating Moral and Ethical Dilemmas as Advisors
Neal Dallas, Director, businessDEPOT
Victoria Mercer, Solicitor, businessDEPOT
Coming Unstuck: Navigating Moral and Ethical Dilemmas as Advisors
Thursday 7 August 2025
1.15pm – 3.05pm
2 CPD hours
Session Details
In a world of grey zones and blurred lines, SMSF professionals face ethical dilemmas that technical expertise alone can’t solve. This interactive, scenario-based workshop explores the real-life moral challenges that arise when professional obligations, personal loyalties, and legal limits collide.
Together, Neal and Victoria will unpack:
- How best to manage conflicted roles in estate planning
- What you need to know if you find yourself caught in the crossfire of warring trustees
- The risks of overstepping advice boundaries, including providing legal advice
- What can happen when risky clients want a quick and easy fix and you take things too far
If integrity matters in your practice, this is one session you won’t want to miss. Expect frank discussion, practical strategies, and a few uncomfortable truths.
End Game: SMSF Death Benefits Done Right
Clinton Jackson, Partner, Cooper Grace Ward
End Game: SMSF Death Benefits Done Right
Thursday 7 August 2025
1:15pm – 3:05pm
2 CPD hours
Session Details
This workshop will explore the latest developments and emerging risks that arise on the death of an SMSF member – from shifting legal interpretations to the implications of recent disputes. You’ll gain fresh insights into what happens when intentions are unclear, documents conflict, or trustee discretion is challenged.
Through real-life case studies, Clinton will examine the legal, tax, and practical complexities that follow a member’s death, and whether it’s possible to genuinely future-proof decision-making.
Designed for SMSF professionals across disciplines, this workshop will provide practical strategies to align estate planning with the SIS Act, manage tax outcomes, and reduce the risk of costly, avoidable disputes.
3:05pm - 3:35pm
afternoon teA
3:35pm - 4:30pm
Lessons From The Courtroom
Bryce Figot, Special Counsel, DBA Lawyers
Lessons From The Courtroom
Thursday 7 August 2025
3:35pm – 4:30pm
1 CPD hour
Session Details
The courtroom doesn’t lie – and if you’re working in the SMSF space, the last 12 months have offered no shortage of warning signs, wake-up calls, and teachable moments. In this fast-paced, no-nonsense closing keynote, Bryce will lift the lid on the real-life disputes that caught professionals off guard – and the practical steps you can take now to stay out of next year’s case files.
With a sharp eye on the practical and the preventable, this session goes beyond courtroom drama to deliver valuable, forward-looking insights for all SMSF specialists. You’ll hear the key legal and procedural pitfalls that triggered disputes, the compliance gaps that left trustees exposed, and the lessons professionals must take on board to proactively guard both their clients and their own practices.
Expect sharp insight, practical takeaways, and a compelling close to the event with a session that’s both thought-provoking and highly applicable.
4:30pm - 4:40pm
WRAP UP
“Absolutely top notch event, with top line speakers and terrific content.”