Doing business in Australia
Our international experts explore all you need to know when doing business in Australia, including the Foreign Investment Review Board regime, employment and migration trends, international wealth and succession planning issues, key issues for US investors to understand about the Australian market, and much more.
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Mark Dunphy and Jacqueline McGrath discuss Australia’s customs system and outline its particular requirements, including permits, the role of customs brokers, recent customs trends, penalties for false statements and why it’s critical to obtain advice about the valuation of goods to be imported.
Mark Dunphy and Jacqui Barrett discuss key issues for investors and companies from the United States to understand about the Australian market, including business structures, the need for resident directors, what sectors in Australia that US entities are investing in, and what Australian laws US companies will find different to their home markets.
Many Australians have a connection to another jurisdiction, whether they are born overseas, have parents or children who were or own assets overseas. International connections create complexity around succession planning and wealth. Mark Dunphy, Emma Woolley and James Whiley discuss why it’s essential to make a plan that covers multiple jurisdictions, ensures Wills are valid in each jurisdiction and covers the impact of inheritance tax and capital gains tax where applicable. They also discuss some specifics for US and UK jurisdictions.
Oliver Jankowsky, Mark Dunphy and Kristopher Kunasingam discuss the latest employment and migration trends in Australia, including Australia’s complex and multi-layered system of employment laws, termination rights, what happens to an employee’s visa if their job is terminated, restraints of trade, the changes in Australia’s sexual harassment laws, and whether it will be easier or more difficult to obtain a skilled work visa to come to Australia over the next year.
Mark Dunphy, Oliver Jankowsky and Ranny Fan discuss Australia’s Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) regime: what it does, what transactions are subject to FIRB notification, the different criteria applied to private investment and foreign government investors, FIRB thresholds, what conditions FIRB applies to approvals and key tips for foreign investors or advisors looking at investing in Australia.