17 Jul Foreign ownership of rural land

The level of foreign ownership of agricultural land and agricultural food production in Australia continues to concern many in the community. In December 2011, the Government released the Foreign Investment and Australian Agriculture report by the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES).

The report found:

• 98.5% of agricultural businesses by number in Australia are entirely Australian owned.

• 88.6% of agricultural land is entirely Australian-owned.

• 90.8% of water entitlements for agriculture are entirely Australian-owned.

Current foreign ownership of agricultural land, businesses and water entitlements in Australia is comparable with the levels of 1983-84.

It should be noted that many Australian companies have significant investments in farmland and agribusiness enterprises in other countries.