Foreign Investment and the National Interest

26 June 2013

View the report as a single document - (PDF 2429KB)

View the report as separate downloadable parts:


Membership of the committee	(PDF 50KB)

Abbreviations	(PDF 11KB)

List of Recommendations	(PDF 49KB)

*Recommendations of the Committee's Interim report: Tax arrangements for foreign investment in agriculture and the limitations of the Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Act* 1975**	(PDF 33KB)

Executive Summary	(PDF 24KB)
Key Findings

Chapter 1 - Introduction	(PDF 46KB)
Conduct of inquiry Acknowledgements Note on references Previous Senate inquiries Structure of the report

Chapter 2 - Background—the global food task, comparative regulatory contexts and Australia's regulatory framework	(PDF 131KB)
The benefits of foreign investment The global food task Comparative regulatory contexts Implications of free trade agreements for Australia's foreign investment regulations Australia’s foreign investment framework

Chapter 3 - Foreign investment—information gaps	(PDF 119KB)
Concerns about lack of information ABS agriculture survey ABARES' study The national register of foreign ownership of agricultural land

Chapter 4 - Transparency and scrutiny of foreign investment	(PDF 123KB)
The FIRB review process Overview of FIRB national interest test General views of the FIRB review process Compliance Case studies Hassad Australia case study Cubbie Station case study

Chapter 5 - Investment threshold and related issues	(PDF 106KB)
FIRB foreign investment review threshold Cumulative purchases Local economy impacts Definition of "rural land" Definition of "direct investment"

Chapter 6 - Foreign investment and agricultural development: the Ord irrigation area case study	(PDF 565KB)
The Ord irrigation area Key issues Capital investment Water entitlements and access to domestic capital Land tenure Community sentiment towards foreign investment

Dissenting report by Government Senators	(PDF 60KB)

Minority report from the Australian Greens	(PDF 26KB)

Additional Comments by Senator Nick Xenophon	(PDF 78KB)

Appendix 1 - Terms of Reference	(PDF 8KB)

Appendix 2 - Submissions Received	(PDF 23KB)

Appendix 3 - Public Hearings and Witnesses	(PDF 32KB)

Appendix 4 - Information about the Significant Investor Visa*	(PDF 32KB)

Appendix 5 - AACo's Proposed Terms of Reference for an Independent Commission of Audit into Agribusiness*	(PDF 32KB)

Appendix 6 - Map of the Ord Irrigation Expansion Project, including current and future developments*	(PDF 32KB)

*PDF format only

For further information, contact:

Committee Secretary
Senate Standing Committees on Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport
PO Box 6100
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Australia

Phone: +61 2 6277 3511

Fax: +61 2 6277 5811

Email: rrat.sen@aph.gov.au

Phone:	+61 2 6277 3511
Fax:	+61 2 6277 5811
Email:	rrat.sen@aph.gov.au