Agricultural Land Register – First Report – 13.6% of agricultural land foreign owned and UK holds more than all the rest put together (52%)

On 7 September 2016, the Treasurer released Australia’s first report from the Agricultural Land Register, delivering on the Government’s commitment to increase scrutiny and transparency in Australian agriculture.

The Land Register shows foreign investors hold just 13.6 per cent of all Australian agricultural land. The United Kingdom is Australia’s principal source of investment in agriculture with more than 52% of this 13.6% foreign holding.

And the preferred means of agricultural investment is through leasehold interests.

Of the 13.6 per cent of agricultural land held by international investors the overwhelming majority, or more than 52 per cent, is owned by United Kingdom investors.

The countries with the next largest shares are: the United States, Netherlands, Singapore and China. Less than half a per cent (0.38 per cent) of Australia’s agricultural land is held by Chinese investors.

The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) administers the Agricultural Land Register and receives information directly from foreign investors. All foreign investors with an interest in agricultural land are required to register that interest, regardless of the value of the land. And to augment and assure this information, the ATO matches land titles, immigration and other third party data sources to identify foreign investors who may not have recorded their land on the Agricultural Land Register.

The Register, as at 30 June 2016, can be viewed on the Foreign Investment Review Board website.

[Treasurer’s media release] [LTN 173, 7/9/16]