OECD Corporate Governance Factbook 2025: Australia
Table of contents
This Country Note consolidates information published in the 2025 edition of the OECD Corporate Governance Factbook. Along with the summary of recent developments, it provides an overview of Australia’s corporate governance framework and related information benchmarked against 51 other jurisdictions covered by the Factbook, including all OECD and G20 members.
The information in this document is as of 31 December 2024 unless otherwise specified.
For further details, please refer to the OECD Corporate Governance Factbook 2025.
From 1 July 2025, banking, insurance and superannuation entities need to follow the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority’s (APRA) Prudential Standard (CPS 230) for operational risk management.
In September 2024, Parliament passed the Treasury Laws Amendment (Financial Market Infrastructure and Other Measures) Act 2024, which introduced a crisis management regime for clearing and settlement facilities, enhanced the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) and the Reserve Bank of Australia’s powers with respect to financial market infrastructures, as well as phase-in of new climate-related financial reporting requirements.
In November 2023, Parliament passed the Treasury Laws Amendment (2023 Measures No. 1) Act 2023, enabling multiple registrations of financial advisers, permitting ASIC to use assisted decision-making technology in regulatory decisions, and amending the ASIC Act to facilitate sustainability reporting standards.
In September 2023, Parliament passed the Treasury Laws Amendment (Modernising Business Communications and Other Measures) Act 2023 enabled technology-neutral signing and sending of company documents.
In September 2023, Parliament passed the Financial Accountability Regime Act 2023 which established a strengthened responsibility and accountability framework for banking, insurance and superannuation entities.
In September 2023, the Parliament passed the Treasury Laws Amendment (2023 Measures No. 3) Act 2023, which prohibits schemes designed to avoid credit product intervention orders.
On 1 January 2023, APRA’s “Unquestionably Strong Framework for Bank Capital” (APS 110) aligned Australian capital adequacy standards with Basel III with higher minimum buffers for banks.
|
No. of listed companies in Dec 2024 |
Change since Dec 2021 |
Market capitalisation in Dec 2024 |
Ratio to GDP |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Australia |
1 693 |
|
-10.7% |
USD 1 664 bn |
92.6% |
|
OECD members |
21 618 |
|
4.3% |
USD 92 518 bn |
136.5% |
|
World |
46 086 |
|
11.3% |
USD 124 536 bn |
112.7% |
Note: “World” covers 98 jurisdictions. “OECD members” covers 38 countries.
Source: OECD Capital Market Series Dataset. IMF.
Note: “World” covers 98 jurisdictions.
Source: OECD Capital Market Series Dataset.
Note: The share of companies in each jurisdiction where the single largest shareholder and the three largest shareholders own more than 50% of the company’s equity capital. “World” covers 98 jurisdictions.
Source: OECD Capital Market Series Dataset.
The categories that the jurisdiction fits into are highlighted in blue.
The bold numbers and words indicate country-specific additional information.
The numbers within parentheses indicate the number of jurisdictions applicable to each category.
For further information on the methodologies used for the categorisations, please see the OECD Corporate Governance Factbook 2025.
* Some jurisdictions belong to multiple categories because of the additional requirements other than a percentage of shareholding.
* Jurisdictions where mandatory takeover bid rules exist are included.
** Some jurisdictions belong to multiple categories.
* Jurisdictions that have both law/regulation/rule and industry association requirements are also included in this category.
* Some jurisdictions belong to multiple categories.
* Some jurisdictions belong to multiple categories.
* Some jurisdictions belong to multiple categories.