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Articles on Foreign ownership

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A new act in Canada bans non-citizens, non-permanent residents and foreign commercial enterprises from buying Canadian residential properties. (Shutterstock)

Canada’s ban on foreign homebuyers is unlikely to affect housing affordability

Since foreign owners only represent a tiny segment of the housing market, it’s unlikely that Canada’s new ban on foreign homebuyers will make homes more affordable for Canadians.
Scott Morrison rejected earlier foreign-controlled bids for the S Kidman & Co. pastoral empire on national interest grounds. AAP/Lukas Coch

Kidman sale finally gets green light

The sale of the vast Kidman pastoral empire to the joint venture Outback Beef has passed the foreign investment hurdle.
Scott Morrison told a news conference the Turnbull government welcomed foreign investment where it was consistent with Australia’s national interest. Mick Tsikas/AAP

Kidman sale to Chinese given preliminary ‘no’

Treasurer Scott Morrison has announced that his “preliminary decision” is that the purchase of the Kidman pastoral empire by a Chinese-dominated buyer “is contrary to the national interest”.
Water is just as critical as land for farms like Cubbie Station. Cubbie/AAP

Land ownership just the start in foreign investment debate

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has announced long-promised changes to the rules for foreign land purchases and ownership in Australia. There are two key changes. First, the Foreign Investment Review Board…
Hochtief: the new top dog at Leighton. Marcus Brandt/AAP

What is the future for Leighton as Hochtief moves in?

With the move by Spanish controlled builder Hochtief/ACS to increase ownership of Leighton Holdings to 74%, management and control of a leading Australian company will go overseas. Already Leighton chief…
Qantas: out of options? Neuwieser/Flickr

Nothing short of a debt guarantee will save Qantas

Imagine that Virgin Australia was majority owned by a Chinese state-owned enterprise (SOE). Then, if the owners of Virgin tipped A$350 million of new equity into the company to sustain Virgin through a…
Qantas wants a regulatory environment that would allow more foreign investment in the airline. Paul Miller/AAP

Q&A: Qantas the Australian airline, or not?

Federal Treasurer Joe Hockey has kicked off a debate about the foreign ownership of Qantas, flagging a review of the legislation that currently limits foreign holdings. He says the airline is bound by…
Close to 90% of Australia’s farmland remains locally owned. Flickr: Cha222

Why not let agriculture benefit from foreign investment?

Why do we clamour to keep foreign-owned car makers here, paying them billions of dollars to stay, while being wary of foreign investment in farms? Around 0.1% of foreign investment last year was in agriculture…
The ban on live cattle exports to Indonesia caused a major rift in relations. Can new governments in both nations repair the damage? AAP/Animals Australia

Beef, boats and elections: what’s in store for the Australia-Indonesia relationship

Somehow, the debate on Indonesia-Australia relations has got stuck on Bali, beef and boats. While there is no point pretending that either beef or boats are about to disappear as issues any time soon…
Indonesian ownership of Australian cattle is a step in the right direction for both countries, but welfare still needs work. AAP Image/Alan Porritt

Indonesians can buy our land but shouldn’t ship live cattle

Australians should not be alarmed but pleased at the current Indonesian proposal to invest in cattle production in the north of Australia. It demonstrates a renewed confidence in Australia’s ability to…
Sensible Australian farmers don’t object when foreign investors want to buy their problematic assets. AAP Image/Cubbie Group

Cubbie Station sale no threat to food security

Controversy surrounding the recent sale of Cubbie Station in Queensland near the New South Wales border to (mainly) Chinese interests is not unexpected. Fears about foreign ownership in Australia are long-standing…
There is little evidence to suggest that foreign investment is driving up the prices of Australian real estate. AAP

Don’t blame foreign investment for rising house prices

One question that arises on the topic of real estate is the scale of foreign investment and ownership in Australia. It is understandable that the public has concerns about such investment, especially as…
Changes to foreign ownership laws in Indonesia will present further challenges for mining companies. AAP

Challenges for investors amid Indonesia’s foreign ownership regulations

The recent announcement that foreign mining companies in Indonesia would have to sell at least 49% of their shares to local interests raises questions about whether this indicates a change of direction…

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