Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No. 15 of 2012

Administered by Department of the Treasury

Legislation au F2012L01782 Not in force Legislative Instrument

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Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No.15 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.15 of 2012 (the Determination), made on 24 August 2012 is APRA’s one hundred and second 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 July 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.15 of 2012 was enacted under section 57 of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998 (APRA Act). This determination addresses the issue of confidentiality of information provided by locally-incorporated banks and foreign authorised deposit-taking institutions under Reporting Standard ARS 320.0. It allows the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) to publish certain financial data in its Monthly Banking Statistics publication, which is intended to enhance transparency and support informed decision-making in the financial sector. The policy objective of the determination is to balance the need for public disclosure of financial information with the protection of sensitive details that could potentially harm the institutions involved or the broader financial system. The determination was made by APRA following consultations with industry stakeholders to ensure that the public interest in transparency is upheld while safeguarding confidential information.

Scope and Application

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No. 15 of 2012 applies to information provided by locally-incorporated banks and foreign authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs) under the Reporting Standard ARS 320.0. This Determination, made under section 57 of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998, specifically addresses information received by APRA on or after the date of APRA’s last determination regarding ARS 320.0 and before the date of this Determination. The purpose of the Determination is to enable APRA to publish data in its Monthly Banking Statistics, with the information deemed non-confidential and thus permissible for public disclosure. However, the Determination excludes certain sensitive information, such as details relating to shareholder equity, total income tax liability, and total provisions, which were excluded following consultations with the industry. The geographic scope of this Determination is limited to entities operating within Australia, specifically those covered under the Financial Sector (Collection of Data) Act 2001. APRA has ensured that the publication of this information does not engage any of the applicable rights or freedoms recognised in the international human rights instruments, thereby confirming the compatibility of this legislative instrument with human rights.

Key Provisions

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No. 15 of 2012 (the Determination) outlines the information provided by locally-incorporated banks and foreign authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs) under Reporting Standard ARS 320.0 that APRA can publish without breaching confidentiality provisions. This includes details on selected assets, loans, and liabilities on Australian books of individual banks, as specified in the appendix (sections 1-4). The Determination excludes sensitive information, such as shareholder's equity, total income tax liability, and total provisions (section 2). The purpose of the Determination is to enable APRA to publish an edition of Monthly Banking Statistics for July 2012, which will include the non-confidential data specified in the Determination (section 1). The APRA Act, section 57, empowers APRA to determine whether documents provided under the Financial Sector (Collection of Data) Act 2001 contain confidential information, and it requires APRA to consult with relevant entities or their representative associations before making such a determination (section 5). APRA must provide a reasonable opportunity for these entities to make representations and take them into account (section 5). The Determination applies to information provided by foreign ADIs and locally-incorporated banks under ARS 320.0 or any substantially similar reporting standard (section 2). APRA must consider the representations made by the relevant entities or their representative associations, and determine whether the information is confidential. The Determination allows APRA to publish certain information as non-confidential, subject to consultation and consideration of the representations made (section 5). Breaching the confidentiality provisions under section 56(2) of the APRA Act can result in civil or criminal penalties, depending on the nature and extent of the breach. The APRA Act, section 56(5C), however, provides an exception where APRA has determined that the document does not contain confidential information, as specified in the Determination (section 5). The penalties for breaches of confidentiality provisions can include fines and imprisonment, depending on the severity of the breach. However, under section 56(5C) of the APRA Act, if APRA determines that the document does not contain confidential information, as outlined in the Determination, there will be no offence against section 56(2) of the Act. The APRA Act and the Financial Sector (Collection of Data) Act 2001 provide the legal framework for these provisions and penalties.

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