Asst Treasurer Senator Nick Sherry spoke today at the AVCJ conference on the importance of PE and VC financing as part of a diverse investment landscape in Australia.

The Institute of Investors Group on Climate Change which is a forum for the collaboration of climate change for European investors recently published a guide designed to provide direction to limited partners investing in private equity funds. The publication discusses the risks and opportunities that surround climate change and related policy developments.

Senator Kim Carr, Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, today announced the call for applications for Tranche 3 of the Innovation Investment Fund (IIF) program. 

A recent article written by AVCAL Chairman Andrew Rothery and published in the AFR clears up some of the myths and stereotypes around the Australian private equity industry. The article also talks about the growth strategies used by private equity firms and the current state of the industry.

Australia is the 4th most attractive country for investors in VC and PE, according to the 2009/2010 Global VC and PE Country Attractiveness Index just released by IESE and sponsored by Ernst & Young.

This report on the performance of Australian PE and VC funds in FY2009 is now available for download.

Read Anneli Knight's article in BusinessDay on "Private Equity in the Spotlight". The PE industry has been in the limelight with recent high-profile IPOs. But the industry usually prefers to get on with the job of rebuilding and increasing the value of companies without fanfare. This article looks behind the scenes to get a sense of how the PE industry goes about its way of doing business.

Read Brian Corrigan's article in the Australian Financial Review, highlighting the fact that a continued decline in VC fund raising would leave Australia at an economic disadvantage.

The AVCAL 2009 Yearbook, produced in partnership with Ernst & Young, provides an overview of PE and VC fundraising, investment and divestment activity in FY2009.

A recent study by Ernst & Young, Challenges in a New World, shows PE-backed companies remained resilient in the face of the GFC. The study covered 13 divestments in 2008, across Australia and New Zealand with initial investments above $25million.