Politicians and economists say that the Australian public is only worked up about foreign ownership of agricultural land because the community is misinformed. This drives the belief that a register of foreign land holdings will calm everyone's anxiety. Given that Queensland has had such a register for 20 years, and that disquiet about foreign ownership still resonates among Queenslanders, this means that something else is at play.
Leading Australian economists, commentators and even political enemies have joined the federal Minister for Trade and Investment Craig Emerson in condemning Opposition plans to tighten control over foreign investment.
Australia's conservative opposition on Friday earmarked tighter scrutiny of foreign investment in agriculture as a priority if the party is elected to government next year, as recent polls suggest.
HighQuest Partners in the US say that between 65-80 million hectares of additional land is going to have to be brought into production, globally, within the next 10 years and that this means more foreign farmland investment.
There's growing interest in who invests in Australian companies and who buys Australian land, with more discussion around the topic of global food security.
A Chinese property conglomerate is bidding for a 15,000 hectare farming project in the Australian outback as Canberra looks to open the remote north for farming to tap booming demand for food from Asia, especially China.
The Cambodian government has cancelled a 14,981-hectare concession in the Cardamom mountains granted to an Australian firm for a banana plantation.
Controversial foreign investment in Australian farming land is here to stay and is vitally important to the future of food security, the federal government says.
A landmark agreement in the Kimberley is close to being sealed in which Australia's largest cattle corporation will lease vast tracts of land from their Aboriginal owners in return for providing jobs, training and a share of profits in the cattle business.
The head of a $7 billion Chinese mining project in the Pilbara says Australia has a golden opportunity to meet China's soaring demand for high-quality food and he would prefer to invest in agriculture rather than iron ore.
Outspoken entrepreneur and aviator Dick Smith has bought $1 million worth of shares in Australian Agricultural Co (AAco) - Australia's second-largest landholder - because he doesn't want to sound hypocritical when he campaigns against foreign ownership of farms.
President of New South Wales Farmers Fiona Simson doesn't believe the community and farmers are opposed to foreign investment in Australian agricultural land as long as it's adding to their community, industry and economy. The question is having the tools to make sure that this is what's happening.
