speech

Ownership rights and ASIC's regulatory agenda

Published

A speech by Belinda Gibson, Deputy Chairman, Australian Securities and Investments Commission to the Agency in Capital Markets Ownership Matters Annual Governance Conference, 3 April 2012.

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ASIC’s three key priorities

The Commission has three strategic priorities. All our work is focused on advancing our position in one or more of these areas.

The three priorities are:

  • confident and informed investors and financial consumers

  • fair and efficient financial markets, and

  • efficient registration and licensing.

In my presentation today I will discuss a number of our listed company priorities in what I will broadly call ‘governance’:

  • the responsibilities of directors and institutional investors

  • continuous disclosure, and

  • control transactions and equity raisings.

Each of these areas of regulatory interest reflect and support important ownership rights:

  • the right of shareholders to have their company managed in their best interests (corporate governance rules)

  • shareholders’ basic right to know about the affairs of their company and to invest in fair markets (disclosure requirements), and

  • the right to equal, efficient, competitive and informed participation in takeover transactions and equity raisings.

Read the full speech (PDF 89 KB)

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