Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No. 25 of 2012

Administered by Department of the Treasury

Legislation au F2012L02264 Not in force Legislative Instrument

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Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No.25 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.25 of 2012 (the Determination), made on 22 November 2012 is APRA’s one hundred and fifth 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 October 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.25 of 2012 was enacted on 22 November 2012 under section 57 of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998 (APRA Act). This determination addresses the need for the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) to publish an edition of Monthly Banking Statistics, specifically for the month of October 2012. The primary purpose of this legislation is to enable APRA to disclose certain financial data provided by locally-incorporated banks and foreign authorised deposit-taking institutions under Reporting Standard ARS 320.0, ensuring that the information does not contain confidential details. The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998 empowers APRA to determine whether information contained in reporting documents provided under the Financial Sector (Collection of Data) Act 2001 is confidential. The policy objective behind this determination is to facilitate the publication of relevant banking statistics while maintaining a balance between public interest and the protection of sensitive financial information.

Scope and Application

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No.25 of 2012 applies to information provided under Reporting Standard ARS 320.0 by locally-incorporated banks and foreign authorised deposit-taking institutions to the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA). This information, which is not of a confidential nature, pertains to the financial position of these institutions and is intended for inclusion in APRA's Monthly Banking Statistics publication. The Determination ensures that APRA can disclose specified financial data while maintaining the confidentiality of sensitive information such as shareholder equity, total income tax liability, and total provisions. This was decided after consultations with the relevant entities and their representative associations. The Determination extends the application of the APRA Act by clarifying what constitutes non-confidential information under ARS 320.0, thereby facilitating the publication of banking statistics that are crucial for the financial sector's oversight and the broader economy. The Determination does not engage any of the applicable rights or freedoms recognised or declared in the international human rights instruments, and is therefore considered compatible with human rights by APRA.

Key Provisions

The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) has issued the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (confidentiality) determination No.25 of 2012 under section 57 of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998 (APRA Act) to address the confidentiality of information provided under Reporting Standard ARS 320.0 Statement of Financial Position (Domestic Books). This determination permits APRA to publish specific financial data in its Monthly Banking Statistics edition for October 2012. Section 56(5C) of the APRA Act and subsection 57 of the APRA Act provide the legal basis for this determination, ensuring that certain information is not treated as confidential when disclosed by APRA. Entities subject to this Determination, specifically locally-incorporated banks and foreign Authorised Deposit-taking Institutions (ADIs), must comply with the requirements to provide the specified financial information to APRA under ARS 320.0. These entities must ensure that the data provided aligns with the reporting standards and the determination's guidelines. APRA has consulted with these entities and their representative bodies to assess whether the information should be treated as non-confidential, and most have agreed to the disclosure of the specified data. Under the terms of the Determination, the disclosure of confidential information as defined by APRA is not an offence under section 56(2) of the APRA Act. However, any breach of the obligations imposed by this Determination could lead to civil or criminal consequences, depending on the nature and severity of the breach. The maximum penalties for such breaches are not explicitly stated in the Determination but would typically be in line with those provided under the APRA Act and other relevant financial legislation.

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