Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme Act 2018

{{Short description|Australian federal statute}}

{{Italic title}}{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}{{Use Australian English|date=August 2021}}

{{Infobox legislation

| short_title = Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme Act 2018

| legislature = Parliament of Australia

| image = Coat of Arms of Australia.svg

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| long_title = An Act to establish a scheme to improve the transparency of activities undertaken on behalf of foreign principals, and for related purposes

| citation =

| enacted_by = Parliament of Australia

| date_enacted = 28 June 2018

| date_assented = 29 June 2018

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| considered_by =

| introduced_by = Malcolm Turnbull

| 1st_reading = 7 December 2017{{Cite web|title=Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme Bill 2018|url=https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22legislation%2Fbillhome%2Fr6018%22|access-date=2021-08-09|publisher=Parliament of Australia|archive-date=5 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305191532/https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id:%22legislation/billhome/r6018%22|url-status=live}}

| 2nd_reading = 26 June 2018

| 3rd_reading = 26 June 2018

| bill2 =

| considered_by2 = Australian Senate

| introduced_by2 =

| 1st_reading2 = 27 June 2018

| 2nd_reading2 = 27 June 2018

| 3rd_reading2 = 28 June 2018

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| status = in force

}}

The Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme Act 2018 (Cth) (FITSA) is an Australian statute that creates a registration scheme for foreign agents in Australia.

FITSA is modelled on the American Foreign Agents Registration Act; when he introduced the bill that would become FITSA in Parliament, then–Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull described it as an "improved version" of the American statute.{{Sfn|Draffen|Ng|2020|pp=1102–1103}} The statute was part of a "package" of legislation aimed at countering foreign influence in Australia that the Turnbull government advanced beginning in December 2017.{{Cite web|last=Douek|first=Evelyn|date=2018-07-11|title=What's in Australia's New Laws on Foreign Interference in Domestic Politics|url=https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/whats-australias-new-laws-foreign-interference-domestic-politics|access-date=2021-08-09|website=Lawfare|language=en|archive-date=23 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230923072341/https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/whats-australias-new-laws-foreign-interference-domestic-politics|url-status=live}}{{Cite journal|last=Köllner|first=Patrick|date=2021-05-04|title=Australia and New Zealand recalibrate their China policies: convergence and divergence|journal=The Pacific Review|language=en|volume=34|issue=3|pages=405–436|doi=10.1080/09512748.2019.1683598|s2cid=211459742|issn=0951-2748|doi-access=free}} When drafting the bill, the Turnbull government worked closely with the United States Department of Justice.{{Sfn|Robinson|2020|p=1089}} It was amended substantially following criticism from civil society groups that argued the original provisions would stifle freedom of speech.{{Sfn|Robinson|2020|pp=1089–1090}}

FITSA received royal assent on 29 June 2018.{{Cite web|title=Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme Act 2018|url=https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2018A00063|url-status=live|access-date=2021-08-09|archive-date=15 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515054936/https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2018A00063}} It requires anyone who engages in lobbying or "any kind of communications activity for the purpose of political influence" on behalf of a "foreign principal"—a term that includes foreign governments and some other organizations—to register with the federal government, and imposes criminal penalties for failure to do so.

In December 2023, former Liberal candidate and prominent fundraiser Di Sanh "Sunny" Duong became the first person to be criminally convicted for violations of the law.{{Cite news |last= |first= |date=2023-12-19 |title=Ex-Liberal candidate found guilty of using donation to attempt to influence Morrison government for China |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/dec/19/di-sanh-duong-guilty-liberal-candidate-donation-morrison-government-influence |access-date=2023-12-19 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=20 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231220031817/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/dec/19/di-sanh-duong-guilty-liberal-candidate-donation-morrison-government-influence |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Silva |first=Kristian |date=2023-12-19 |title=Chinese-Australian businessman guilty of attempting to influence then-minister Alan Tudge with hospital donation |language=en-AU |work=ABC News |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-19/sunny-di-sanh-duong-foreign-interference-chinese-communist-party/103247096 |access-date=2023-12-19 |archive-date=19 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231219062814/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-12-19/sunny-di-sanh-duong-foreign-interference-chinese-communist-party/103247096 |url-status=live }}