Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No. 18 of 2012

Administered by Department of the Treasury

Legislation au F2012L01921 Not in force Legislative Instrument

Legislation content

Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No.18 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.18 of 2012 (the Determination), made on 20 September 2012 is APRA’s one hundred and third 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 August 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. 18 of 2012 was enacted in accordance with section 57 of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998 (APRA Act). The Determination was made to enable APRA to publish an edition of Monthly Banking Statistics containing data in respect of August 2012, by determining that certain information provided by locally-incorporated banks and foreign authorised deposit-taking institutions under Reporting Standard ARS 320.0 is non-confidential. This addresses the need for APRA to disclose specific financial information of participating institutions to the public while excluding sensitive information. The policy objective is to balance the need for financial transparency and the protection of sensitive data. This Determination was made after APRA consulted with relevant entities, including locally-incorporated banks, foreign ADIs, and their representative bodies, and considered their submissions in accordance with section 57 of the APRA Act.

Scope and Application

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) Confidentiality Determination No. 18 of 2012 applies to information provided under Reporting Standard ARS 320.0 by both locally-incorporated banks and foreign Authorised Deposit-taking Institutions (ADIs) to the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA). This Determination specifies the non-confidential nature of certain information, enabling APRA to publish data in the Monthly Banking Statistics for August 2012. The scope of this legislation extends to data received from these institutions under the Financial Sector (Collection of Data) Act 2001, following consultations with the relevant entities and their associations. The Determination excludes sensitive information, such as details regarding shareholders' equity, total income tax liability, and total provisions, which were deemed confidential through industry consultation. The legislation is compatible with human rights as it does not infringe upon any rights or freedoms outlined in the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011. APRA’s authority to make such determinations is granted under section 57 of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998.

Key Provisions

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) has made a confidentiality determination under section 57 of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998 (APRA Act) concerning the information provided by locally-incorporated banks and foreign authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs) under Reporting Standard ARS 320.0 Statement of Financial Position (Domestic Books) (ARS 320.0). This Determination, specifically the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No.18 of 2012, identifies the information that is deemed non-confidential and can be published by APRA. It applies to data 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 (section 57(1) APRA Act). The Determination explicitly excludes certain sensitive information, such as details relating to shareholder’s equity, total income tax liability, and total provisions, from the scope of non-confidential information. The entities governed by this Determination are locally-incorporated banks and foreign ADIs that submit information to APRA under ARS 320.0. These entities are required to provide the specified information to APRA, which may then be published, provided it is not of a sensitive nature. The Determination serves to guide these entities on what information is expected to be shared and what remains confidential. To ensure transparency and fairness, APRA consulted with the relevant entities and their representative bodies, and most agreed that the information could be treated as non-confidential. This consultation process is a critical part of the determination process, ensuring that all stakeholders have a voice in what information is considered public. Failure to comply with the Determination or the underlying legislation could result in legal consequences. Under section 56 of the APRA Act, it is an offence to disclose confidential information, but this does not apply if APRA has determined that the document does not contain confidential information. The Determination specifies which information can be disclosed and which cannot, thereby protecting sensitive financial data from premature release. While the Determination itself does not prescribe specific penalties for breaches, the APRA Act and related legislation provide for various sanctions, including fines and other civil or criminal penalties, depending on the nature and severity of the breach. The Determination also ensures compatibility with human rights as it does not engage any of the applicable rights or freedoms recognised in the international instruments listed under the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011. APRA’s assessment is that the legislative instrument is compatible with human rights, reinforcing the legitimacy and transparency of the regulatory framework. The information that will be disclosed includes selected assets, loans and advances, and liabilities of individual banks, as detailed in the appendix to the explanatory statement. This ensures that the public has access to key financial metrics while protecting sensitive financial information.

Legal classification tags

Area of Law
Financial Regulation
Instrument
Determination
Concepts
Consultation Requirements
Reporting & Disclosure Obligations
Regulatory Standards

Interactions

Authorises

All Versions

Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.