The Federal Government has flagged fees of at least $5,000 for foreign buyers of Australian residential real estate.

At a press conference in Sydney, the Prime Minister and Treasurer announced a raft of changes to laws that govern the ability of foreign buyers - temporary residents and non-residents - to purchase Australian residential property.

Unveiling the key contents of a consultation paper, Treasurer Joe Hockey said the proposed measures were designed to restore confidence in a foreign investment review system that had not prosecuted anyone for breaching the rules since 2006.

"For any foreign investor that wants to buy a residential property under $1 million, there will be a $5,000 application fee," he said.

"Over $1 million, it will be $10,000 for every extra million dollars in the purchase price.

"Secondly, there will be a new register set up so that we know how many foreign residential and agricultural property owners are in Australia, who they are, which is a very important form of reassurance to the Australian people.

"And, if anyone does break the law then we can fine them up to 25 per cent of the value of the property as well as forcing them to sell the property."

The fees outlined by the Government are much higher than those recommended in a report by the House of Representatives Economics Committee, which suggested an administrative charge of up to $1,500, with the money raised to fund the Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB).

The Treasurer also said that businesses applying for FIRB approval to buyout Australian companies worth more than $1 billion would face an application fee of $100,000, while other applications to buy businesses would attract a $25,000 fee.

Tax Office best placed to handle real estate enforcement

Mr Hockey said the new fees would be collected by Treasury and would be included the forthcoming budget's forward estimates.

"The proposed fees will raise in excess of $200 million a year, but obviously that depends on demand," Mr Hockey said.

"At the moment we simply do not have enough data and that's because no-one has taken foreign investment regimes seriously in the past."

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When asked whether the proposed fees were "just a way to milk foreign investors", Mr Hockey replied they were currently being subsidised by the taxpayer because of the lack of application fees.

"At the moment they don't pay anything when they lodge applications, they get a free service from the Australian taxpayer. That is unacceptable and obviously transactions now are far more complicated."

The proposed changes would also see the FIRB's real estate enforcement activities shifted to a new specialist unit within the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).

The discussion paper said the ATO seemed the most suitable agency to perform the task as it had staff with appropriate compliance and enforcement skills, sophisticated data-matching systems and experience pursuing court action.

The ATO would be enforcing a civil penalty system with a range of fines for those breaching the rules, from $2,040 for those inadvertently failing to seek approval for a purchase who voluntarily turn themselves in, through to 10 per cent of the value of the property for deliberately failing to seek approval.

For those who purchase properties they are not allowed to, the penalty would be up to 25 per cent of the property's value and a forced sale.

The Government also proposed a fine of up to $42,500 for individuals who help a foreign buyer breach the rules, which could catch out people such as real estate agents, conveyancers and local family members who assist unlawful purchases.

Submissions on the proposals are being accepted by Treasury until March 20, after which the Government will make a final decision about which to enact.