4 March 2022
The ABA provides feedback to the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) on the Financial Services Legislation, Interim Report A. In addition to specific feedback provided in this submission on the questions and proposals put forward by the ALRC in Interim Report A, the ABA welcomes further consultation and engagement on the following four issues as the ALRC inquiry continues.
The first being the potential to create a single Act to regulate financial services in Australia and significantly reduce the complexity that exists within the current regulatory framework. The second concerns the alignment of definitions with those in other legislative instruments to create confidence and certainty for all stakeholders including consumers. The third issue highlights the need for further consultation regarding the potential impact of ‘outcomes-based’ disclosure increasing the complexity of information provided to consumers. Lastly, the ABA highlights that implications for emerging markets and products be considered so that laws are drafted in a technology-neutral manner and, are drafted sufficiently broadly so that their application is not limited to existing products and services.
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The Australian Banking Association (ABA) welcomes the opportunity to provide this submission to the Senate Select Committee on Cost of Living’s (Committee) inquiry into the cost of living pressures facing Australians, ways to ease the cost of living and the Government’s fiscal policy response (Inquiry).
Banks are aware of the challenges Australians face in the current inflationary environment, which have arisen from a combination of the COVID-19 pandemic, high household savings, pent-up demand, and global factors, including supply chain constraints and the war in Ukraine. To curb inflation, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), alongside other central banks globally, have responded by tightening monetary policy. The increases in the target cash rate have had flow-on effects to the cost of banking and living for Australian consumers.
The Australian Banking Association (ABA) welcomes the Treasury’s consultation and the role that this initiative can play in developing a crypto regulatory regime in Australia. Regulation of crypto assets The Reserve Bank’s retail Central Bank Digital Currency trial highlights the potential for crypto assets to benefit the economy, with a role for banks, payments, financial markets and fintechs. The crypto assets market continues to grow. An estimated 25.6% of Australians own crypto assets,1 and the global cryptocurrency market rebounded to an estimated US$1.08 trillion in early 2023.
The ABA supports the policy objective that large businesses pay small businesses on time. Banks have taken a range of steps to support small business customers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and following recent major natural disasters. As a relatively new reporting regime, the ABA considers there is room to improve the scheme to ensure greater efficiency while maintaining or improving its effectiveness.