1301.0 - Year Book Australia, 2012
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 24/05/2012
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Statistics contained in the Year Book are the most recent available at the time of preparation. In many cases, the ABS website and the websites of other organisations provide access to more recent data. Each Year Book table or graph and the bibliography at the end of each chapter provides hyperlinks to the most up to date data release where available.
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INTRODUCTION
The financial system in Australia can be thought of as having three overlapping components. The first consists of financial enterprises (such as banks) and regulatory authorities (such as the Reserve Bank and the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority). The second consists of financial markets (e.g. the bond market) and their participants (issuers such as governments, and investors such as superannuation funds). The third is the payments system (i.e. the cash, cheque and electronic means by which payments are effected) and its participants (e.g. banks). The interaction of these three components enables funds for investment or consumption to be made available from savings in other parts of the national or international economy.
This chapter provides a summary of the structure and activities of the three components of the Australian financial system.
This chapter contains two special articles, Recent developments in financial markets and Financial co-operatives in Australia.
Related information can be found in chapters 30 NATIONAL ACCOUNTS and 31 INTERNATIONAL ACCOUNTS AND TRADE.