Securities Industry (Application of Laws) Act 1981

Securities Industry (Application of Laws) Act 1981 (Tasmania)

This is a Tasmanian law from 1981 that was designed to apply national (Commonwealth or other states') securities industry laws within Tasmania. In practical terms, it works as a 'referral' or 'application' statute — meaning Tasmania essentially agreed to adopt and apply a uniform national framework for regulating the securities industry (stocks, shares, and financial instruments trading) rather than creating its own separate rules.

Who does this affect?

• Stockbrokers, financial dealers, and securities market participants operating in Tasmania
• Investors buying or selling securities (shares, bonds, etc.) in Tasmania
• Companies listed or raising funds from Tasmanian investors

Why does it matter? It was part of Australia's mid-20th century effort to create a consistent, nationwide approach to regulating financial markets. Without laws like this, each state could have wildly different rules, making cross-border investing complicated and risky.

Current status: The law has been on the books since 1981 and appears largely unchanged since at least 2001. In practice, securities regulation in Australia has since been largely taken over by the Commonwealth through ASIC (the Australian Securities and Investments Commission) and the Corporations Act 2001, meaning this Act may now have limited practical operation — but it technically remains on the books.