Australia’s foreign bribery laws – change in prospect

Jason Gray (+612 9373 7674, Jason.Gray@AllenOvery.com) is a partner in Allen & Overy’s Asia-Pacific litigation practice. He splits his time between the firm’s Sydney and Hong Kong offices. This article is republished with the author’s permission.

The Australian Government is currently considering amendments to its foreign bribery laws. The proposed amendments include a new corporate offence of failing to prevent foreign bribery and a model for a deferred prosecution agreement scheme. In the wake of these proposed changes and the likely increase in the enforcement of foreign bribery laws in Australia, Jason Gray of Allen & Overy says that companies should carefully assess the adequacy of their compliance programmes and the risks of doing business overseas.