Suggestions to Improve Australia’s Foreign Investment Review Framework: Submission to the Inquiry by the Senate Economics References Committee

Australia’s economic development since the time of European settlement has been predicated on capital investment from overseas. A relatively small, young population inhabiting a vast continent rich in resources and opportunity would not have prospered without external capital to build mines, factories, ports, roads and infrastructure. Direct investment also brings new technology, access to new markets, and new ways of doing business. Policies that prevent foreign investors bidding for Australian assets also prevent Australians from realising the full international value of their assets.