Foreign investment

NARROWER TERMS


Working paper

Trends, investor types and drivers of renewable energy FDI

Recently, foreign direct investment (FDI) in renewable energy has been on a rising trend, while FDI activity in fossil fuels has started showing some signs of a possible slowdown. Although the changing geopolitical context might have implications for the development of these trends, the findings...
Report

Western Australia's trade and economic relationship with China

The Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre was recently approached by the Australia China Business Council to evaluate the benefits of Western Australia’s trade, export and investment activity with China to the State’s households. This report outlines the findings.
Report

Trade and assistance review 2020-21

This annual review contains the Commission’s latest quantitative estimates of Australian government assistance to industry, and provides a summary of developments in industry assistance, trade policy and foreign investment over the past year.
Discussion paper

Foreign investment in Australia: Australian big business is not Australian at all

The purpose of this paper is to revisit some earlier work that attempted to estimate the proportion of the mining industry that is foreign owned. This was made possible with access to the Bloomberg Professional Terminal database that gives corporate ownership by geographic region.
Report

International investment implications of Russia’s war against Ukraine

The Russian Federation’s war against Ukraine is primarily a human tragedy. It also has manifold implications for global policy-making. This report seeks to inform the international investment policy community hosted at the OECD about: the main implications for investment policy; measures, impacts and trends that...
Conference paper

Foreign investment in Australian housing: global housing demand and impacts in the local housing market

This paper investigates the underlying drivers attracting cross-border investment to housing market across Australia, explores how these ‘pull factors’ varied before and after the changes of foreign investment policy settings, and how shifting foreign investment regulations over the past decade influenced local housing affordability.
Report

An investment-led strategy for building Australia-India economic relations

Australia needs to emphasise investment with India to properly unlock the synergies between the two economies. This report identifies three specific strategies for realising this goal: promoting Australia private sector investment into India, the encouragement of joint ventures in global value chains, and the alignment...
Evaluation

Evaluation of the 2021 foreign investment reforms: final report

In December 2020, the Australian Parliament passed legislation that gave effect to the most significant reforms to Australia’s foreign investment framework since 1975. This evaluation found that in their first year, the reforms had achieved the government’s aims, particularly by ensuring that investments which may...
Report

Trade and investment trends in a decarbonising world

This report examines the global reorientation in trade and investment that is underway in the transition to net zero emissions, and considers what these trends mean for Australia.
Report

Correcting the course: how the Biden Administration should compete for influence in the Indo-Pacific

This paper argues that countries in the Indo-Pacific region are looking to the Biden Administration to finally deliver on the Indo-Pacific 'pivot' that Washington has been promising for a decade.
Report

Greenfields, cash cows and the regulation of foreign investment in Australia

Since the advent of European settlement, Australia has been a net recipient of foreign investment. Foreign investment is crucial to grow the Australian economy, but it does not necessarily follow that all foreign investment is equally productive. The committee urges the Australian government to accept...
Draft report

Register of Foreign-owned Water Entitlements: Productivity Commission draft report

The Australian government has regulated foreign investment since 1975. This draft report presents the Commission’s preliminary analysis and views on the rationales for the Register of Foreign-owned Water Entitlements, its effectiveness, costs and benefits, and possible improvements, for both its current and future forms.
Report

Trade and assistance review 2019-20

This report delivers the Productivity Commission’s estimates of assistance provided to businesses for the year to June 2020. The review is set against a background of unprecedented industry assistance to counter the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, although most of this assistance has been...
Report

Australia-US bilateral investment in 2020: taxing times

This paper argues that the downturn in foreign investment in Australia, including from the United States, can be explained by the pandemic downturn in global investment, a reduced Australian international borrowing requirement, more competitive US tax settings, and an increase in regulation and regulatory uncertainty...
Report

Pivot: diversifying Australia's trade and investment profile

This inquiry report aim to position Australia so it emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic in a more secure, stable, and profitable position than before. The recommendations have been informed by a range of stakeholders, who provided evidence on the opportunities and challenges related to diversification.
Discussion paper

Register of foreign-owned water entitlements: issues paper

The Australian Government established the Register of Foreign Ownership of Water Entitlements (the Register) in 2017. The primary aim of the Register is to increase transparency about foreign ownership of Australian water assets and, more broadly, maintain community confidence in Australia’s foreign investment policy. This...
Report

Regulator Performance Framework - Administration of Australia’s Foreign Investment Framework: report 2019-20

Under the Australian Government’s Regulator Performance Framework, regulators must undertake an annual self-assessment of their performance against six key outcome-based performance indicators (KPIs). The overall 2019-20 assessment for Treasury and the ATO in relation to Australia’s foreign investment framework was that the KPIs were met.
Report

The role of US innovation in securing Australia's economic future

This report argues that since the Second World War, no single country has continually helped Australia to be more innovative than the United States. In addition to the fact Australia now receives more investment from the United States than any other country, US investment is...
Report

Enduring partners: the US-Australia investment partnership

This report argues that as Australia seeks to develop even more sophisticated and high-value goods and services, partnerships and investment by US companies will continue to be vital for Australia’s technology and research sectors, helping to keep us at the cutting edge of productive innovation...
Report

Foreign investment in Australia

This research paper looks at the trends, drivers and effects of foreign investment in Australia, and the Australian government’s foreign investment policy. Foreign investment is beneficial for the Australian economy, but brings some risk which can be managed by government policy.
Policy report

Foreign investment reforms

This paper outlines the most comprehensive reforms to Australia’s foreign investment review framework in more than 20 years. The Australian government will shortly release exposure draft legislation for consultation on the reforms prior to its introduction into Parliament, and provide further guidance for investors on...
Report

Australia’s exposure to regional economic disruption: investment

This paper discusses how the COVID-related recession will significantly dampen international capital flows in 2020.
Guide

Foreign investment policy and national interest guidance

This guidance note has been released so that foreign investors can ensure that they understand New Zealand's foreign investment screening regime and ensure they comply with the law.
Report

International investment Australia 2018

This publication is an informative resource providing detailed snapshots of the latest trends in Australia’s international investment position with the world (both inwards and outwards) as well as a summary of the world direct investment position.
Briefing paper

Comparing China’s and Taiwan’s aid to the Pacific

The diplomatic tug-of-war between China and Taiwan is expected to intensify in the Pacific in the foreseeable future.