THE federal government is reminding people they have until February 1 to have their say on the national foreign ownership register for agricultural land.
Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig said it was an opportunity for people to share their views on the design and operation of the register for agricultural land.
“The national foreign ownership register for agricultural land will provide a more comprehensive picture of the specific size and location of foreign agricultural landholdings over and above what is currently available," he said.
“The development of a national foreign ownership register for agricultural land continues the government's work to improve transparency in foreign ownership of Australian agricultural land.
“We strongly encourage interested stakeholders to share their views on the draft paper to help in the register’s operation and design.”
The paper is seeking views on scope and definitions of ownership interests, compliance issues, access to information included in a register and overlaps with existing regulatory requirements.
The consultation paper was compiled by the foreign ownership register working group, chaired by the Treasury and comprising a range of Australian government agencies.
A copy of the working group's consultation paper as well as details about how to make a submission can be found at www.treasury.gov.au/ConsultationsandReviews/Submissions/2012/agricultural-land