Follow us


We have published a comprehensive legal guide of considerations in US acquisitions of Australian companies and businesses. The guide is suitable for both US acquirers and their advisers as well as domestic targets approached with a US acquirer. 

Our annual public M&A report typically finds US bidders account for in excess of 40% of Australian public company M&A. The statistics for private M&A acquisitions are not made public, but are comparable in our experience.

Herbert Smith Freehills have advised extensively on US inbound acquisitions of Australian companies and businesses. This includes acting for Newcrest on Newmont’s A$26 billion scrip merger and BlackRock on the Australian aspects of its US$12.6bn acquisition of Global Infrastructure Partners.

Based on our extensive experience, a thorough understanding of the interaction of the US and Australian rules and practices is an important competitive advantage in these cross-border transactions.

The purpose of this guide is to provide key considerations based on our extensive experience on successful US acquisitions of Australian companies. The guide covers:

  • Foreign direct investment regime
  • Merger control and antitrust considerations
  • Public M&A considerations (ASX listed targets)
  • Scrip mergers with US listed acquirers
  • Private M&A considerations and differences
  • Australian tax considerations
  • Herbert Smith Freehills in Australia

U.S. inbound M&A into Australia

Key contacts

Kam Jamshidi photo

Kam Jamshidi

Partner, Melbourne

Kam Jamshidi
Patrick Clark photo

Patrick Clark

Partner, Melbourne

Patrick Clark
Jared Peut photo

Jared Peut

Partner, Melbourne

Jared Peut
Toby Eggleston photo

Toby Eggleston

Partner, Melbourne

Toby Eggleston

Stay in the know

We’ll send you the latest insights and briefings tailored to your needs

New York Sydney Australia Perth Brisbane Americas Melbourne Mergers and Acquisitions Corporate Private Capital Deals Global M&A M&A Private Capital Deal Talk: Australian M&A Update Kam Jamshidi Patrick Clark Jared Peut Toby Eggleston