Commonwealth Numbered Regulations

[Index] [Table] [Search] [Search this Regulation] [Notes] [Noteup] [Previous] [Next] [Download] [Help]

CORPORATIONS REGULATIONS 2001 2001 No. 193 - REG 7.3.02B

Licence conditions — investment advice to retail investors
(1)
For subsection 786 (1) of the Act, a licence is subject to the condition that, if the licensee gives investment advice to a retail investor, the licensee must meet the requirements of subregulations (2), (4) and (5).

(2)
Subject to subregulation (3), the licensee must give to a retail investor an Advisory Services Guide:

(a)
in the case of investment advice given in person — not later than when that advice is given; or

(b)
in the case of an execution-related telephone advice — at the earliest practicable opportunity after the licensee (or a representative of the licensee) gives the advice but not later than 3 days after the trading following the advice; or

(c)
in any other case — at the earliest practicable opportunity after the licensee (or a representative of the licensee) gives investment advice.

(3)
Subregulation (2) does not apply if:

(a)
the licensee has given an Advisory Services Guide to the retail investor in relation to investment advice previously given to the investor; or

(b)
the investment advice given is general securities advice given, in accordance with regulation 7.3.02D, to persons generally in a non-personal context (for example, at an investment seminar, by means of brochures or newsletters or through advertisements).

(4)
The licensee must be a member of an external complaints resolution scheme approved by the Commission.

(5)
The licensee must have in place at all times, to deal with complaints from retail investors, internal complaints-handling procedures that are in accordance with Australian Standard AS 4269 1995, Complaints Handling, as in force on 1 October 1998.

(6)
For subregulation (2), the Advisory Services Guide must contain information that a retail investor reasonably requires to:

(a)
clearly understand the nature of the investment advice service being offered; and

(b)
compare the services offered by the licensee with similar services offered by other licensees; and

(c)
clearly identify:

(i)
the licensee; and
(ii)
the individual representative (if any) of the licensee;
responsible for the investment advice to be given to the investor; and

(d)
clearly understand the nature of, and method of calculating, in relation to the service:

(i)
all charges payable to the licensee by the investor; or
(ii)
any other amount payable to the licensee, including a commission payable by a third party; and
(e)
clearly understand the basic rights of the investor in relation to the licensee, and any representative of the licensee, giving investment advice to the retail investor; and

(f)
use available complaints procedures if dissatisfied with a service received from the licensee.

(7)
If a change occurs in relation to an item of information mentioned in subregulation (6) and the relationship between the licensee and the retail investor to whom the licensee has given an Advisory Services Guide under subregulation (2) is continuing, or the licensee has a reasonable expectation that the retail investor will seek further investment advice from the licensee, the licensee must give, at the earliest practicable opportunity after the change, an updated Advisory Services Guide to the retail investor.

(8)
Subject to subregulation (9), a person is not a retail investor if:

(a)
the person is the holder of a dealers licence; or

(b)
the person is the holder of an investment advisers licence; or

(c)
the person is an exempt dealer; or

(d)
the person is an exempt investment adviser; or

(e)
the person is a body corporate registered under the Life Insurance Act 1995 ; or

(f)
the person is an authorised deposit-taking institution as defined in section 5 of the Banking Act 1959 ; or

(g)
the person is a bank constituted by or under a law of a State or Territory; or

(h)
the person is the trustee of a superannuation fund, an approved deposit fund or a pooled superannuation trust within the meaning of the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 that has more than 100 members; or

(i)
the person is the responsible entity or other operator of a managed investment scheme and:

(i)
the person has aggregate funds under its management that is not less than $50,000,000; and
(ii)
in relation to each scheme under its management:

(A) the total amount of the funds under management is not less than $10,000,000; and
(B) the total number of members is not less than 50; or

(j)
the person is the responsible entity or other operator of a managed investment scheme that has:

(i)
net assets of not less than $10,000,000; and
(ii)
more than 100 members; or
(m)
the person is an exempt public authority; or

(n)
the person is an investment company as defined in subregulation 7.3.12 (3); or

(o)
the person is a listed company; or

(p)
the person is a company (other than a company mentioned in paragraph (n) or (o)) that is a large proprietary company:

(i)
at the deadline for lodgment of the reports mentioned in subsection 319
(1)
of the Act in relation to the last financial year; or
(ii)
if that subsection does not apply to the company in relation to the last financial year, at the date when the company receives the advice from the licensee; or
(q)
the person is a related body corporate of a listed company; or

(qa)
the person is an unlisted public company that satisfies at least 2 of the following subparagraphs:

(i)
the consolidated gross operating revenue for the financial year of the company and the entities it controls (if any) is $10 million or more;
(ii)
the value of the consolidated gross assets at the end of the financial year of the company and the entities it controls (if any) is $5 million or more;
(iii)
the company and the entities it controls (if any) have 50 or more employees at the end of the financial year; or
(r)
the person is a foreign entity that, if established or incorporated in Australia, would be a person described in paragraph (a), (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), (g), (h), (i), (j), (k), (l), (m), (n), (o), (p), (q) or (qa).

(9)
A person mentioned in paragraph (8) (a), (b), (c), (d) or (q) is a retail investor in relation to an investment advice given to that person by the licensee if:

(a)
the person has made a request, in writing, to the licensee to be treated as a retail investor in relation to the investment advice; and

(b)
the person has not revoked the request.

(10)
In this regulation:

"execution-related telephone advice" means investment advice relating to quoted securities:

(a)
that is given by a stockbroker or other dealer as an integral part of the execution of a transfer of, or order for, those securities; and

(b)
for which no fee is charged in addition to the commission for the execution of the transfer or order.

"general securities advice" means advice or report on securities given to an investor or prospective investor without recommending (whether expressly or impliedly and whether directly or indirectly) that a particular transaction in those securities is appropriate to the particular investment needs, objectives and financial circumstances of the investor or prospective investor.

"give", in relation to investment advice, includes make available (for example, by leaving brochures for an investor or prospective investor to peruse).

"retail investor", in relation to investment advice, means:

(a)
a person other than a person that, under subregulation (8), is not a retail investor; or

(b)
a person who is a retail investor under subregulation (9).



AustLII: Copyright Policy | Disclaimers | Privacy Policy | Feedback