Australia: Investing in Australia
After an economic slowdown, FDI flows to Australia have been strong thanks to the energy sector: according to the World Investment Report 2023 published by UNCTAD, FDI inflows rose by 194.9% year-on-year in 2022, totalling USD 61.6 billion, making the country the sixth-largest recipient worldwide. In the same year, the total stock of FDI reached USD 758 billion, around 44.5% of the country’s GDP. Meanwhile, outflows from Australia rose from USD 3.4 billion to USD 117 billion, mainly due to the acquisition of BHP (United Kingdom) from BHP (Australia). The main investing countries in Australia are the United States (24.1%), the United Kingdom (22.2%), Belgium (7.9%), Japan (5.7%), Singapore (3.3%), and Hong Kong (2.9%). These investments are mainly oriented towards the mining sector (32.1%), real estate (13%), finance and insurance (12.6%), manufacturing (10.6%), and trade (6% - data Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade). While Australia’s resources sector, which has traditionally been attractive for foreign investment, continues to receive investor interest, the services sector is now receiving greater attention. Furthermore, investments in battery storage have also been on the rise. The latest figures from the OECD show that investment inflows decreased to USD 7.8 billion in the first half of 2023, down from a peak of USD 48.4 billion in the same period one year earlier.
Australia is one of the most open to foreign direct investment among OECD member states, with FDI representing over a third of GDP. FDI through both majority and minority ownership supports 1 in 10 jobs in Australia (DFTA). That is thanks to its economic liberalism, stability, transparency of its legal system and strong economic growth over the last 25 years, which compensate for the narrowness of its market and its geographic isolation. The business environment is attractive, and the trading environment is conducive considering the strategic positioning of the economy within the Asia-Pacific region and the political links that it has with the United States. Australia is also involved in mega trade agreements such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership. The new legislation is designed to ensure that foreign investment is appropriately assessed and that national interest factors are properly considered. The government supports a case-by-case approach to considering foreign investment proposals, and in case proposals are found to be contrary to the national interest they can be either rejected or asked to be modified. This flexible approach is preferred to hard and fast rules because the government believes that rigid laws that prohibit a class of investments can stop valuable investments. Moreover, the country recently revised the 2015 Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Regulation to clarify specific elements of the foreign investment review system and simplify the procedures for less sensitive investment categories. Furthermore, updates were made to the Guidance Notes pertaining to agriculture, commercial land, mining, residential land, securities, and other investment sectors. Australia ranks 24th among the 132 economies on the Global Innovation Index 2023 and 13th out of 184 countries on the 2023 Index of Economic Freedom. The country also stands at the 10th position in AT Kearney’s Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index 2023.
Foreign Direct Investment | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
FDI Inward Flow (million USD) | 13,583 | 20,899 | 61,629 |
FDI Stock (million USD) | 779,674 | 755,178 | 758,032 |
Number of Greenfield Investments* | 325 | 344 | 442 |
Value of Greenfield Investments (million USD) | 20,421 | 12,854 | 69,046 |
Source: UNCTAD, Latest available data
Note: * Greenfield Investments are a form of Foreign Direct Investment where a parent company starts a new venture in a foreign country by constructing new operational facilities from the ground up.
Country Comparison For the Protection of Investors | Australia | OECD | United States | Germany |
Index of Transaction Transparency* | 8.0 | 6.5 | 7.0 | 5.0 |
Index of Manager’s Responsibility** | 2.0 | 5.3 | 9.0 | 5.0 |
Index of Shareholders’ Power*** | 8.0 | 7.3 | 9.0 | 5.0 |
Source: Doing Business, Latest available data
Note: *The Greater the Index, the More Transparent the Conditions of Transactions. **The Greater the Index, the More the Manager is Personally Responsible. *** The Greater the Index, the Easier it Will Be For Shareholders to Take Legal Action.
Economic conditions in Australia are excellent. Australia's main assets are:
Disadvantages for FDI in Australia are:
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Latest Update: July 2024