Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No. 12 of 2012

Administered by Department of the Treasury

Legislation au F2012L01329 Not in force Legislative Instrument

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Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No.12 of 2012

 

Information provided by locally-incorporated banks and foreign authorised deposit-taking institutions under Reporting Standard ARS 320.0

 

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

Prepared by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA)

Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998 (APRA Act), section 57

 

Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No.12 of 2012 (the Determination), made on 19 June 2012 is APRA’s one hundredth determination under section 57 of the APRA Act in relation to information provided under Reporting Standard ARS 320.0 Statement of Financial Position (Domestic Books) (ARS 320.0), taking into account both current and preceding versions of this reporting standard.[1] The purpose of the Determination is to enable APRA to publish an edition of Monthly Banking Statistics, which will contain data in respect of May 2012.

Legislative background

Subsection 56(5C) of the APRA Act provides that it is not an offence against section 56(2) of that Act to disclose information in a reporting document given to APRA under section 13 of the Financial Sector (Collection of Data) Act 2001 (FSCOD Act) where APRA has determined, under section 57, that the document does not contain confidential information.

Section 57 of the APRA Act gives APRA power to determine whether a document given under section 13 of the FSCOD Act contains confidential information. The section provides that before doing so APRA must give relevant entities or bodies, or their representative association, a reasonable opportunity to make representations as to whether information of the kind contained in the document is confidential, and take such representations into account (consultation undertaken is discussed below).

Information covered by the determination

The Determination provides that certain information given to APRA under ARS 320.0 (made by Financial Sector (Collection of Data) (reporting standard) determination No. 30 of 2008), or another reporting standard in substantially the same form replacing it, being information received on or after the date of APRA’s last determination under section 57 in respect of information provided under ARS 320.0 and before the date of the Determination, is non-confidential. It applies to information given to APRA by foreign Authorised Deposit-taking Institutions (ADIs) and locally-incorporated banks.

The Determination excludes information of a sensitive nature, including information relating to shareholder’s equity, total income tax liability and total provisions. The latter two items were excluded as a result of consultations with industry under section 57 of the APRA Act (see below).

Items that will be disclosed (and which are covered by the Determination) are set out in the Appendix to this Explanatory Statement.

 

Consultation

 

APRA commenced consultations in relation to whether information of the kind covered by the Determination should be treated as non-confidential by writing to locally-incorporated banks, foreign ADIs, and their respective representative bodies, on 24 December 2003. Most agreed that information of the kind covered by the Determination could be treated as non-confidential. A small minority objected to the publication of any information from ARS 320.0, but in APRA’s view there is a strong public interest in the publication of the information, and it is noted that similar information was regularly published under the former section 51 of the Banking Act 1959.

 

Statement of compatibility prepared in accordance with Part 3 of the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011

 

The legislative instrument the subject of this explanatory statement does not engage any of the applicable rights or freedoms recognised or declared in the international instruments listed in section 3 of the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011. Accordingly, in APRA’s assessment, this legislative instrument is compatible with human rights.

 


Appendix

 

Items to be published in the Monthly Banking Statistics publication 

 

Table 1: Selected Assets on Australian Books of Individual Banks 

 Cash and liquid assets

 Trading securities

 Investment securities

 Acceptances of customers

 Gross loans and advances

 Other investments

 Total resident assets

 Outstanding principal balance of securitised assets

 Value of housing loans securitised

 

Table 2: Loans and Advances on Australian Books of Individual Banks 

 Loans to non-financial corporations

 Loans to financial corporations

 Loans to general government

 Housing loans - owner-occupied

 Housing loans - investment

 Household credit cards

 Other household loans

 Loans to community service organisations and non-profit institutions

 Total gross loans and advances

 Intra-group loans and advances

 

Table 3: Selected Liabilities on Australian Books of Individual Banks 

 Due to clearing houses and financial institutions

 Acceptances

 Total deposits

 Intra-group deposits

 Bonds, notes and long-term borrowings

 Other borrowings

 

Table 4: Deposits on Australian Books of Individual Banks 

 Deposits from non-financial corporations

 Deposits from financial corporations

 Deposits from general government

 Deposits from households

 Deposits from community service organisations and non-profit institutions

 Other deposit accounts

 Certificates of deposit

 Total deposits

 

 

 

[1]  Prior to January 2006, determinations under section 57 of the APRA Act were entitled ‘Non-confidentiality determination No. X of 200X’.

Overview

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No.12 of 2012, made under the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998 (APRA Act), was enacted to facilitate the publication of data in respect of May 2012 in an edition of Monthly Banking Statistics. This determination was made to address the need for transparency in the banking sector by ensuring that certain information provided by locally-incorporated banks and foreign authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs) under the Reporting Standard ARS 320.0 can be disclosed without breaching confidentiality provisions. This is achieved by determining that such information does not contain confidential content, thereby allowing its inclusion in the statistics published by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA). The policy objective is to strike a balance between maintaining confidentiality and promoting transparency in the financial sector, thereby aiding in the oversight and regulation of the banking industry.

Scope and Application

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No.12 of 2012 applies to information provided by locally-incorporated banks and foreign authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs) under Reporting Standard ARS 320.0, which pertains to the Statement of Financial Position (Domestic Books). This Determination, made under section 57 of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998, aims to facilitate the publication of non-confidential financial data by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) in its Monthly Banking Statistics. Specifically, it covers information received by APRA on or after the date of the last confidentiality determination under ARS 320.0 and before the date of this Determination, thereby ensuring the timely dissemination of financial data. The Determination excludes certain sensitive information, such as details relating to shareholder’s equity, total income tax liability, and total provisions, following consultations with industry stakeholders. Through this Determination, APRA aims to balance the need for financial transparency with the protection of sensitive commercial information.

Key Provisions

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) has made the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (Confidentiality) Determination No. 12 of 2012 (the Determination) under section 57 of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998 (APRA Act). This determination is aimed at enabling APRA to publish an edition of Monthly Banking Statistics, which will include data for May 2012. This Determination, APRA's one hundredth under section 57, applies to information provided under Reporting Standard ARS 320.0, Statement of Financial Position (Domestic Books) (ARS 320.0), by locally-incorporated banks and foreign authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs). It specifically identifies certain information as non-confidential, which can be disclosed without contravening the APRA Act. This information is to be included in the Monthly Banking Statistics publication. The Determination applies to information that is given to APRA by locally-incorporated banks and foreign ADIs under ARS 320.0, or under another reporting standard that replaces it in substantially the same form. This information must be received on or after the date of APRA's last determination under section 57 in respect of information provided under ARS 320.0, and before the date of this Determination. However, the Determination excludes information of a sensitive nature, such as shareholder's equity, total income tax liability, and total provisions, which were excluded following consultations with industry under section 57 of the APRA Act. The Determination is detailed in an appendix to the Explanatory Statement, which lists the items to be disclosed in the Monthly Banking Statistics publication. The obligations imposed by the Determination on the parties it governs, primarily locally-incorporated banks and foreign ADIs, are to provide the specified information to APRA under ARS 320.0 or a similar reporting standard. APRA is then required to assess whether this information contains confidential elements, taking into account any representations made by relevant entities or their representative associations. The Determination itself mandates that certain specified information be treated as non-confidential and thus eligible for disclosure in the Monthly Banking Statistics publication. The obligations are designed to ensure transparency and the availability of relevant financial data to the public, while safeguarding sensitive information. There are no explicit offences, penalties, or civil/criminal consequences mentioned in the Determination for breach of its provisions. However, the Determination is made under the authority of the APRA Act, and any breach of the Act, including failure to comply with a determination made under section 57, could potentially result in legal consequences. Subsection 56(5C) of the APRA Act provides that it is not an offence against section 56(2) of that Act to disclose information in a reporting document given to APRA under the Financial Sector (Collection of Data) Act 2001 (FSCOD Act), where APRA has determined that the document does not contain confidential information. Therefore, while the Determination itself does not specify penalties for non-compliance, the broader framework of the APRA Act and related legislation would apply in the event of any breaches.

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