Foreign investors are increasingly targeting Australian agricultural land and assets sparking political debate. Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced that Australia will set up a foreign-ownership register for farmland which will provide the public with a comprehensive picture of the size and specific locations of foreign agricultural landholdings. Foreign investment has been important to Australian agriculture for more than 100 years, but data and transparency on these investments have been lacking. Currently only one state holds a register and small purchases by private investors have not been subject to national foreign investment approval.