Estate agents face anti-money laundering regulations

Estate agents face being classified as a designated service under Australia's anti-money laundering and counter terrorism financing laws (AML/CTF).
The extension of the AML/CTF laws to real estate agents, jewellers, lawyers and accountants was suspended in 2008 because of the stresses of the financial crisis.
The federal Attorney-General's department has told the Australian Financial Review the current statutory review of the AML/CTF regime will take into account the outcomes of the fourth-round mutual evaluation of Australia's AML/CTF regime by the Financial Action Task Force, the international body responsible for AML/CTF standards.
"Seven years later, there is a booming property market, partly fuelled by foreign investment," the Australian Financial Review Chanticleer columnist Tony Boyd told his readers.
"Real estate agents would be pushing the limits of credibility if they claimed they were under the same stress as 2008.
"The review provides an opportunity to critically examine the operation of the regime, consider issues raised by relevant stakeholders and determine whether any enhancements are required," the AG's department said.
The main obligations under the AML/CTF Act are: customer identification and verification, reporting, AML/CTF programs and record-keeping.




