本平台将致力于为您提供与您在澳洲的投资项目相关的法律信息与服务、同时也会将与中国企业及个人投资者热切关注的产业相关澳洲新闻、最新行业规定等讯息及时传递给您。

此前我们发布有关FIRB的总体政策的文章。目前澳大利亚政府对相关政策有所调整。新版请见以下正文。

澳大利亚的城市土地与农村土地

澳大利亚城市土地是农村土地以外的任何土地。

澳大利亚农村土地是完全和纯粹用于进行初级生产业务的土地。

农村土地拟议投资

政策规定：

· 所有外国政府和其相关的实体（如国有企业和主权财富基金) 在购买任何农村土地权益前都应通知 FIRB并获得批准才可；并且

· 在外国投资者购买农业用地时， 若该外国投资者（或是公司）已经持有的、并加上当前拟议购买的农地总额高于1500万澳元的门槛金额，则需外国投资审查委员会的审批。

城市土地拟议投资

政策规定，拟议的城市土地投资（包括租赁、融资和分享利润安排）在如下情况下必须通知FIRB：

· 开发5,400 万澳元或以上（如果房地产是遗产，500 万澳元或以上）的非住宅商业地产；

· 住宿设施，无论价值；

· 空置房地产，无论价值；

· 澳大利亚城市土地公司或房屋信托股份或单位，不论价值或

· 住宅房地产，无论价值，除非包括‘新住宅’的开发，开发商预先已经获得FIRB批准可以向外国人士出售开发的住宅。

通知和批准

根据法律要求，申请需用正式表格，连同某些相关信息。申请提交后，预计最多30天会有结果，还有10天通知期（不过复杂申请的审批时间可延长至90 天）。一旦此时间段已过，FIRB不可以再阻止建议进行的投资，或施加条件。

根据政策递交的申请，要列明某些订明的投资资料和拟议的外国投资者。虽然政策没有规定申请审批时限，但确实有说在可能的情况下政府的目标是30 天内完成。

国家利益测试

除非拟议的投资被确定为与国家利益相悖，一般会被批准。

什么是‘国家利益’没有法定定义，取决于每个个案。国家利益测试的目的是要平衡澳大利亚对外国投资的敏感度。历届澳大利亚政府对国家的敏感问题有不同的关注，但FIRB 一般会按照政策考虑以下因素来确定外国投资：

· 国家安全 - 外国投资对澳大利亚保护其战略和安全利益能力的影响程度；

· 竞争 - 外国投资是否会控制市场价格，某种产品的生产或任何特定的服务行业。FIRB 还可考虑对全球工业的影响，特别是如果违背了市场竞争原则。通常情况下，在考虑这一因素时会向另一个政府机构，也就是澳大利亚竞争与消费者委员会征询意见；

· 其他澳大利亚政府政策- 对澳大利亚税收收入或其它方面，例如澳大利亚环境的影响

· 对澳大利亚经济与社区的冲击 - 拟议外国投资对整个经济领域的影响，包括外资投资后澳洲实体的重组，外商投资后澳大利亚的参与程度和员工利益、债权人和其他利益攸关者；以及

· 外国投资者品质 - 一个拟议的外国投资者商业经营的透明度，是否有适当的管制和良好的公司治理。

在考虑这些因素和评估外国投资者后，FIRB可决定是否施加条件。

处罚

按法律规定需要通知FIRB时而没有通知会受到处罚。虽然有没有法定处罚度，但如果外国投资者没有按规定提出申请，联邦或州政府在考虑有关投资者其它申请时会考虑此行为。

我们能提供何种协助

我们的法律知识和对政策的了解意味着我们有能力协助外国投资者提交适当的FIRB申请。

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【专业干货——助您成功投资澳洲业务】

欲查阅之前我们发布的如下【在澳经商基本法律法规】主题系列以及与您生意相关的其他资讯，请进入订阅号点击右上角按钮，选择“查看历史消息”：

· 在澳大利亚成立公司须知

· 澳大利亚相关背景，例如包括澳大利亚政府制度、法律制度、企业结构

· 其他常见领域法律与规定，例如技术与知识产权保护、反垄断和消费者保护法、合同法、公开接管、电子商务、商业移民和雇主担保签证、房地产、环境法等

（原创文章，欢迎转发，谢谢关注！未经授权，严禁转载！）

Regulation of Foreign Investment in China [Part II]

Our readers may have already read the article about FIRB regulations we have posted before. Recently the FIRB related policies have been updated. Please refer to the following new version.

Australian urban land and rural land

Australian urban land is any land that is not rural land.

Australia rural land is any land that is used exclusively for carrying out a business of primary production.

Proposed investments in Rural Land

The Policy indicates that:

· all foreign governments and their related entities (such as a state owned enterprises and sovereign wealth funds) should notify FIRB and obtain approval before acquiring any interest in rural land;and

· all foreign persons need approval to buy rural land if the cumulative value of the rural land that the foreign person (and any associate) already holds exceeds, or immediately following the proposed acquisition will be above, the threshold value of $15 million.

Proposed investments in Urban Land

The Policy indicates that acquisitions of interests in urban land (including interests that arise by way of lease, financing and profit sharing arrangements) must be notified to FIRB to the extent that the proposed investment involves the acquisition of:

· developed non-residential commercial real estate where the property is valued at A$54 million or more (A$5 million or more if the real estate is heritage listed);

· accommodation facilities, irrespective of value;

· vacant real estate irrespective of value;

· shares or units in Australian urban land corporations or trust estates, irrespective of value or

· residential real estate, irrespective of value,unless the property comprises a ‘new dwelling’ within a development, and the developer has obtained advance FIRB approval to sell the dwellings within the development to foreign persons.

Notifications and approvals

Notifications under the Act involve lodging a statutory formtogether with certain additional information. Having lodged a notification, you can expect up to a 30 day examination period as well as a 10 day notification period before receiving a response from FIRB (however for more complex proposals, the examination period can be extended for up to 90 days). Once those time periods have elapsed, FIRB can no longer prevent, or impose conditions on, a notified proposed investment.

Notifications under the Policy involve lodging an application which sets out certain prescribed information about the proposedinvestment and the proposed foreign investors. Although there is no time limit for applications made under the Policy, it is stated in the Policy that the Government aims to consider such proposals within 30 days, where possible.

National interest test

Approvals are generally granted unless the proposed investment is determined to be contrary to the national interest.

What is considered to be in ‘the national interest’ is not defined in Act and is determined on a case by case basis. The purpose of the national interest test is to balance Australia’s sensitivities against the benefits of foreign investment. Successive Australian governments have evolved and will continue to evolve the determination of the nation’s sensitivities but generally FIRB will consider the following factors, as set out in the Policy,to determine a foreign investment proposal:

· National security – the extent to which foreign investments affect Australia’s ability to protect its strategic and security interests;

· Competition – where a foreign investment constrains market price and production of a good or service in any particular industry. FIRB may also consider the impact of such an investment on the global industry, particularly if it goes against competitive market outcomes. Usually,advice from another government body called the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission will be sought in considering this factor;

· Other Australian government policies – the impact of the foreign investment on Australian tax revenues or other matters such as the Australian environment;

· Impact on the Australian economy and community –the extent to which the proposed foreign investment impacts on the generaleconomy, including impacts that concern the restructure of an Australian entity subject to the foreign investment, the level of Australian participation inthat entity after the foreign investment and the interests of employees,creditors and other stakeholders; and

· Character of the foreign investor – the extent aproposed foreign investor operates on a transparent commercial basis and whetherit is subject to adequate regulation and good corporate governance.

In considering these factors and assessing a foreign investor’s application, FIRB may decide to impose conditions on the approval of an application.

Penalties

Penalties apply for failing to notify FIRB where notification is required under the Act. Although there is no statutory penalty where a proposed foreign investor fails to make a notification required only under the Policy, failure to notify under the Policy may be taken into accountby Federal or State government when considering other applications made by the relevant investor.

How we can help

Our knowledge and understanding of the Act and the Policymean that we are well placed to advise and assist foreign investors in relationto FIRB applications.

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【We provide excellent, expert advice to businesses wishing to invest in Australia.】

To view our previous news releases for Chinese investors and the following articles of the topic ‘Basic legal knowledge on doing business in Australia’, please click the upper-right button on our WeChat platform, and choose ‘view previous information’:

· Business set up in Australia, business structures,company administration, etc.

· Background information of Australia, including Australian government, legal system, and business structures, etc.

· Laws and regulations in various common areas, including protection of technology and intellectual property, anti-trust and consumer law, contract law, business migration, real property, public takeovers, and electronic commerce etc.