News and Insights

On 1 July 2023, the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) will implement a new register of foreign ownership of a myriad of Australian assets. This register coincides with the introduction of obligations on foreign persons to report to FIRB their ow

In this article, we comment on the proceedings recently instigated in the Victorian Supreme Court in relation to the acquisition by Far East Consortium (Far East) of Black Capital Finance (non-bank lender) in breach of the Foreign Acquisitions and T

The recent decision of Commissioner of Taxation of the Commonwealth of Australia v Vijay Balasubramaniyan [2022] FCA 374 puts foreign investors on notice that where they fail to advise the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) of their investments

On 14 February 2022, the Federal Government released the Evaluation of Foreign Investment Reforms that commenced on 1 January 2021 together with a draft regulatory response in the form of a package of amendments to the Foreign Acquisitions and Takeov

The Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) have released new instructions and guidance for property developers on how to apply for a new (or near-new) dwelling exemption certificate. The guidance also outlines property developers obligation to corre

There has been a recent rise in the granting of a board position or veto right to a foreign shareholder (even where the foreign shareholder has a less than 20% interest).  While their shareholding alone will not deem the entity a foreign person for

There are many circumstances or “triggers” which may require a review of your Will and other estate planning documents, share Greg Cox and Krystal Bellamy from HopgoodGanim's Estates and Succession practice. Among those triggers are changes to t

The Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) has released their updated financial thresholds requiring FIRB approval. This alert sets out thresholds to be mindful of when acquiring Australian land investments and Australian non-land investments.  Mone

The Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) implemented significant legislative amendments to the Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Act 1975 (Cth) (FATA) and the Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Regulations 2015 (Cth) (FATR) which came into effect

The Federal Government of Australia has recently introduced the Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Amendment (Commercial Land Lease Threshold Test) Regulations 2020 (Amendment) which amends the Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Regulations 2015 (Cth

Key issues: Australia has signed a free trade agreement with Hong Kong known as the Australia - Hong Kong Free Trade Agreement (A-HKFTA) and associated Investment Agreement. According to the Australian government, the A-HKFTA will provide greater

Investment in the Resources sector continues to be an area of high activity. In this article, we consider the need for “foreign person” acquirers (which includes some Australian-incorporated entities) to obtain approval of the Foreign Investment