Recommendation 6.6 – Joint administration of the BEAR
ASIC and APRA should jointly administer the BEAR. ASIC should be charged with overseeing those parts of Divisions 1, 2 and 3 of Part IIAA of the Banking Act that concern consumer protection and market conduct matters. APRA should be charged with overseeing the prudential aspects of Part IIAA.
Recommendation 6.7 – Statutory amendments
The obligations in sections 37C and 37CA of the Banking Act should be amended to make clear that an ADI and accountable person must deal with APRA and ASIC (as the case may be) in an open, constructive and co–operative way. Practical amendments should be made to provisions such as section 37K and section 37G(1) so as to facilitate joint administration.
Recommendation 6.8 – Extending the BEAR
Over time, provisions modelled on the BEAR should be extended to all APRA-regulated financial services institutions. APRA and ASIC should jointly administer those new provisions.