This research project compares the application of the competition laws of China and Australia to bank mergers, against financial regulatory frameworks and the dual objectives of competition and economic stability. As the title indicates, it seeks to identify lessons for Australian banks and Chinese regulators. A number of features dictate that the two jurisdictions will...

Over the last 10 years, around 15 per cent of the Australian aid budget was spent through two multilateral development banks (MDBs): the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank. Close to two-thirds of this was given as non-core funding (funding earmarked for a specific purpose or region). Through these contributions the aid program...

Theory suggests that increasing the public availability of regulatory information may hurt the information environment of bank stocks. It is therefore not clear whether the Basel Accord’s intent to foster market discipline by requiring banks to publish information on their risk management practices and exposures is beneficial. Using a sample of the 54 largest banks...

In the financial services sector, the failure of a single institution can have a compounding effect on the sector, and on national and global economies. In particular, there is systemic risk from inter-institution lending, and this effect is more complex in Australia due to the small number of major players. In retail banking in Australia...

Coal seam gas (CSG) is an unconventional gas source that often requires highly invasive extraction methods, including horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing (fracking). While CSG has made up a small part of Australia’s gas supply mix since the late 90s, production has increased drastically in the past few years, and with it the threat of...