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August 28th, 2013 
Peter Nolan
Updated
Australia’s Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has suggested he wants to take a more cautious approach to foreign investors buying land.
Mr Rudd signalled the policy shift during the final leaders’ debate of the election campaign.
When asked about foreign investment, Mr Rudd said he preferred joint ventures for rural land development.
“Maybe it’s because I grew up on a farm, I’m not sure,” he told the crowd at Rooty Hill in western Sydney.
“But I am a bit nervous, a bit anxious frankly about simply an open slather on this.
“I think when it comes to rural land, but land more generally, we perhaps need to adopt a more cautious approach.”
Mr Rudd says he is considering the issue for agricultural land, and cities as well.
The Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has outlined the Coalition’s foreign investment policy.
“Under a Coalition government – should we win the election – the threshold for foreign investment review board of foreign land acquisitions will come right down from $200-odd million to $15 million,” Mr Abbott said.
“And we will publish a register of foreign land and agribusiness holdings.”
Topics:
land-management,
business-economics-and-finance,
rural,
elections,
federal—state-issues,
australia,
asia,
china
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Source Article from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-28/an-aus-foreign-investment/4920098
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