01
Entity & structure
Do you need an Australian company, branch, trust, or acquisition vehicle?
Find counsel
Outbound from ChinaOceania corridor
Australia legal counsel for Chinese businesses.
Route a China-connected Australia matter by workstream, local legal market and appropriately qualified counsel. This page provides general orientation, not destination-law advice.
Legal orientation, not legal advice
01Project screening
Early screening
Before you commit, clear the legal gates.
Start with the decisions most expensive to unwind after signing, funding, or hiring.
02
FIRB / investment screening
Could the investment or land acquisition require FIRB notification or approval?
Find counsel03
People & visas
Will the operation hire locally or sponsor Chinese assignees?
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Property
Do foreign-buyer property and duty rules apply in the relevant state?
Find counsel05
Tax & establishment
Where will management, people, and revenue-generating activity actually occur?
Find counsel06
Contracts & disputes
Which governing law, forum, and enforcement strategy fit the deal?
Find counselFlagship orientation
A legal corridor is not a checklist. It is a sequence of connected decisions.
Get the facts into view early, identify where China-side and Australia advice intersect, then take the route that matches the commercial move—not a generic practice-area label.
Open the Australia legal orientation
02Business routes
Action-led routes
What are you doing in Australia?
Choose a business action first. We will take you to the legal questions and counsel path it creates.
Structure
Establish an Australian operation
Company setup, tax registration, and first Australian filings.
People
Hire & relocate people
Employment and migration pathways for Chinese assignees.
Transaction
Invest / acquire a business or property
FIRB-related questions, share or asset deals, and completion.
Commercial
Trade & contract with Australian counterparties
Commercial and resources-related contracts.
Protection
Protect land, IP & compliance
Foreign-buyer property rules, IP, and regulatory-facing issues.
Contentious
Resolve a dispute
Australian courts, arbitration, enforcement, and exits.
03Coordination
ChinaOrigin-side
Coordinated mandate
AUAustraliaDestination-side
Cross-border coordination
Make the handoff visible.
Host-country counsel does not replace China-side advice. The most consequential questions often sit where approvals, capital, governance, and enforcement cross jurisdictions.
China-side counsel
- Funding from PRC entities and parent guarantees
- ODI, SAFE, and China-side approvals
- Mainland contracts and onshore implications
- PRC enforcement or asset questions
Australia counsel
- Australian entity, property, and transaction documents
- Employment, immigration, and local contracts
- FIRB and sector regulation
- Courts, arbitration, and Australia-facing enforcement
Featured City Desks
Dedicated City Desks for Australia
Use a dedicated City Desk when the legal work is concentrated in a specific Australia market.
Australia
Sydney
When the legal centre of gravity is Sydney.
Investment · Property · Mobility
Explore Sydney Legal Market →Find Sydney LawyersOther cities with listed counsel
These are directory filters, not dedicated City Desks.
04Counsel directory
Counsel route
Browse Australia counsel.
Search listed profiles by name, city, firm, or legal focus.
James Whitfield
Sydney, Australia
Pharmaceuticals and Advertising
James Morrison
Sydney, Australia
Real Estate Development
Claire Bennett
Sydney, Australia
Real Estate Development
Jonathan Anderson
Melbourne, Australia
Investment Immigration
Andrew Mitchell
Sydney, Australia
Real Estate Development
Thomas Chen
Melbourne, Australia
Investment ImmigrationNo matching counsel profiles.
Try a different name or workstream.
05Review & sources
Review protocol · Australia corridor
05 / Evidence file
Know the scope, sources and review boundary.
This page is maintained as editorial legal orientation. It does not claim review by a named Australia lawyer unless that reviewer and qualification have been independently verified.
Current editorial review
Legal scope
Federal investment and immigration issues plus NSW/VIC commercial practice unless another state is stated
Source basis
FIRB/Treasury, ASIC, state revenue offices, courts, and profession-specific official sources as appropriate.
Editorial owner
China Legal Portal outbound desk
Re-review trigger
Changes in FIRB practice, property rules, immigration, company law, or dispute procedure.
Questions at the first call
Practical starting points.
Could a Chinese buyer need FIRB approval?
Potentially. Certain investments, land, and sectors can require notification or approval. Treat public summaries as orientation only.
Can a Chinese company set up an Australian subsidiary?
Yes, but company, tax, immigration, and China-side funding steps should be sequenced together.
Are property rules the same for foreign buyers in every state?
No. Foreign-buyer property and duty rules can be specialised. Instruct local counsel for the actual asset.
When should PRC ODI counsel be involved?
When a China parent, outbound investment, or remittance funds the Australian deal.