CTHIn ForceLegislation
Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Regulation 2015
7Meaning of enterprise of a country or region
Start here
Get a plain-English read of 7
Turn the raw legal text into a practical explanation grounded in Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Regulation 2015.
#### 7 Meaning of enterprise of a country or region
Enterprise of a country
(1) An enterprise of a country is:
(a) an entity (within the ordinary meaning of the term) of a kind mentioned in subsections (2) to (4); or
(b) a branch of an entity (within the ordinary meaning of the term) mentioned in subsection (5);
that is not excluded under subsection (6).
Enterprise of a region
(1A) An enterprise of a region is:
(a) an entity (within the ordinary meaning of the term) of a kind mentioned in subsections (2) to (4); or
(b) a branch of an entity (within the ordinary meaning of the term) mentioned in subsection (5A);
that is not excluded under subsection (8) or (9).
Entity of a country or a region
(2) The entity is constituted or organised under a law of the country or a law of the region.
> Note: For references to a law of the United States of America or China, see sections 9 and 9A.
(3) The form in which the entity may be constituted or organised may be, but is not limited to, any of the following forms:
(a) a corporation;
(b) a trust;
(c) a partnership;
(d) a sole proprietorship;
(e) a joint venture;
(f) an unincorporated association.
(4) It is immaterial whether the entity:
(a) is carried on for profit; or
(b) is owned or controlled privately.
Branch of an entity of a country
(5) A branch of an entity (within the ordinary meaning of the term) is an enterprise of a country if:
(a) the entity is not described in subsections (2) to (4); and
(b) the branch is located in the country; and
(c) the branch is carrying on business activities in the country:
(i) in a way other than being solely a representative office; and
(ii) in a way other than being engaged solely in agency activities, including the sale of goods or services that cannot reasonably be regarded as undertaken in the country; and
(iii) by having its administration in the country.
Branch of an entity of a region
(5A) A branch of an entity (within the ordinary meaning of the term) is an enterprise of a region if:
(a) the entity is not described in subsections (2) to (4); and
(b) the branch is located in the region; and
(c) the branch is carrying on business activities in the region:
(i) in a way other than being solely a representative office; and
(ii) in a way other than being engaged solely in agency activities, including the sale of goods or services that cannot reasonably be regarded as undertaken in the region; and
(iii) by having its administration in the region.
(5B) For the purposes of working out under subsection (5A) whether a branch of an entity is an enterprise of Hong Kong, China, subsection (5A) applies as if:
(a) paragraphs (5A)(a) and (c) were omitted; and
(b) subsection (5A) also required the entity to be of a kind mentioned in subsections (2) to (4) for Hong Kong, China.
When entities or branches are not enterprises of a country
(6) An entity, or a branch of an entity, (within the ordinary meaning of the term) is not an enterprise of a particular country if the Treasurer is satisfied that:
(a) it is owned or controlled by one or more persons of another country; and
(b) any one or more of the following applies:
(i) Australia does not maintain diplomatic relations with the other country;
(ii) Australia adopts or maintains measures relating to the other country or a person of the other country that have the effect of prohibiting transactions with the entity or branch;
(iii) the entity or branch has no substantial business activities in the particular country.
(7) Without limiting subsection (6), an entity, or a branch of an entity, (within the ordinary meaning of the term) is not an enterprise of China if the Treasurer is satisfied that:
(a) it is owned or controlled by one or more of the following:
(i) an individual who is usually resident in the territory of a relevant World Trade Organization member;
(ii) an entity that is constituted or organised under a law of a relevant World Trade Organization member; and
(b) the entity or branch has no substantial business activities in China.
When entities or branches are not enterprises of a region—general
(8) An entity, or a branch of an entity, (within the ordinary meaning of the term) is not an enterprise of a particular region of a country if the Treasurer is satisfied that:
(a) it is owned or controlled by one or more persons of another country; and
(b) any one or more of the following applies:
(i) Australia does not maintain diplomatic relations with the other country;
(ii) Australia adopts or maintains measures relating to the other country or a person of the other country that have the effect of prohibiting transactions with the entity or branch;
(iii) the entity or branch has no substantial business activities in the particular region;
and the particular region is not Hong Kong, China.
When entities or branches are not enterprises of a region—Hong Kong, China
(9) An entity, or a branch of an entity, (within the ordinary meaning of the term) is not an enterprise of Hong Kong, China if the Treasurer is satisfied that:
(a) subsection (10) applies to it; or
(b) the entity or branch has no substantial business activities in Hong Kong, China.
(10) This subsection applies to an entity or branch if:
(a) it is owned or controlled by one or more of the following:
(i) an individual of a country who is not a resident of Hong Kong, China;
(ii) an entity constituted or organised under a law of a country that is not a law applying in Hong Kong, China; and
(b) Australia adopts or maintains measures relating to that country, or a person of that country, that have the effect of prohibiting transactions with the entity or branch.