Glad to see that sanity has prevailed quickly in this discussion. You should definitely not do any related party transactions, no matter what, other than the three exceptions listed. Some of the rules are insane and work against the interests of your SMSF, but what can you do?
For example: You have a mortgage on which you pay 7.5% interest to the bank. You also have cash holdings in your SMSF, which you could invest with yourself to reduce the interest bearing balance of your mortgage, and pay the 7.5% interest to your SMSF, instead of the bank. You personally would not be any better or worse off, while your SMSF would be much better off getting 7.5% interest on its cash holdings than getting half of that from the bank.
It would make sense, wouldn't it? It sure would, but you are not permitted to "lend" to related parties, so your SMSF loses out.
Blue murder, I shout, but nobody is listening and nobody is interested. Which raises the question: For whose benefit have some these rules been imposed on SMSF? Really?