Australian entrepreneur relocates family to Bali, citing taxes, costs and 'government overreach'

Matt Cameron, a 46-year-old Sydney property developer and founder of a health retail chain, has relocated his family from Sydney to Canggu, Bali, saying high rents, heavy taxes and what he describes as government "overreach" made staying in Australia untenable for his business and family.

Cameron and his partner, Felicity, 34, moved with her two children about 18 months ago and are expecting a baby. He told the Daily Mail that the move has allowed the family to live in a larger villa with full-time staff while spending less than they did on a smaller rented home in Sydney.

Cameron, who grew up in Sydney's eastern suburbs and attended private school Cranbrook, said he built his fortune in property and through the health retail chain he founded. He posts regularly about his life and views to about 47,000 Instagram followers.

He told the Daily Mail that in Sydney the family was paying about A$150,000 a year to rent a four-bedroom home with a full-time chef and cleaner. In Bali, he said, they now rent a five-bedroom villa and employ three full-time housekeepers, a chef and assistant, security, a personal driver and a personal assistant for roughly A$130,000 a year. "Our standard of living has gone significantly up, while our cost of living has come significantly down," he said, adding that the move also provided employment for local staff.

Cameron framed the decision as economically driven and tied to broader policy concerns. He said Australia has "tall poppy syndrome," high taxation — he described Australia as being among the top 10 highest taxed nations — and a tendency to "test things on the rich" as a means of gaining wider support for policy changes. "I've felt like I love Australia, but it wasn't the nation that it had now become," he said, comparing his experience to that of his father's generation, which he said could support a family on a single income.

He said the family considered other markets, including Singapore and Dubai, but chose Bali in part because of market dynamics there. "Bali made a lot of sense because tourism was going up by 10 per cent a year," he said. Cameron also described Bali as a largely cash-driven market for property development, which he said reduces the impact of rising interest rates on local developments. He added that Australians make up a significant share of foreign buyers in Bali, which he said provided additional comfort.

On schooling and family life, Cameron said there are multiple international schools within a short distance of their home in Canggu operated by Australian, U.S. or U.K. teams and that class sizes offer about one teacher per 12 students. He said the move addressed concerns about government and school policy changes following the COVID-19 pandemic, which he described as a factor in feeling "trapped" in Australia.

Cameron acknowledged missing elements of life in Sydney, including sidewalks, shopping malls and Sydney Harbour, and said friends and family visit frequently. But he said he would not return to Australia unless the government took steps to be "more supportive of our investments." "I would for the lifestyle — Australia is a beautiful place — but I wouldn't be moving back from a business or monetary perspective. It's just too restrictive," he said.

He has used social media to express his views about cost of living, taxation and regulatory environments, saying the Australian economy and policy environment make it difficult to get ahead unless one attains a high level of success. The move to Bali is the latest example of an entrepreneur citing comparative costs and regulatory differences when relocating operations and residences abroad.

Cameron's statements reflect his personal assessment of fiscal and social conditions. He characterized the move as a step to protect his family's finances and business interests, and as a choice that increased household comfort while reducing annual expenditures compared with their previous Sydney lifestyle.