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29-July-2010
Source: John Cobb, MP -
The report in today’s The Australian that I agreed with the idea of a national register is wrong.
In fact, I told The Australian that I did not agree with the idea of a national register.
However, The Australian is correct when it reports me as saying there is “certainly a case” for keeping track of what overseas governments and entities own.
This is entirely consistent with Mr Hockey’s statement, also reported in The Australian, that the Coalition would be prepared to monitor and disclose foreign Government investment in agricultural land but we do not support a register”.
The coalition is concerned that Labor has failed to collect adequate data on agricultural land purchases by non-residents.
The Coalition strongly believes that it is in the public interest that comprehensive and accurate information is collected on the number of value of agricultural properties purchased by foreign governments.