Shadow treasurer Joe Hockey has questioned whether the merger of the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) and the Singapore Exchange is in Australia's interest.
"I want to hear from (Treasurer) Wayne Swan why the ASX being taken over by the Singapore Stock Exchange is in our national interest," he said on Tuesday.
Singapore was Australia's competitor for financial services jobs and Mr Swan would want to know from the ASX and the government if the takeover would help Australia become a financial centre for the Asia-Pacific region, Mr Hockey told the Seven Network.
"It (the ASX) is effectively a monopoly," he said. "It is iconic for Australia."
He welcomed foreign investment and could not be critical of foreign ownership, he said.
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"But we've got to consider carefully, when a monopoly in the Australian market is being bought out by an overseas interest, whether that is in our interest."
The ASX had offered the opposition a briefing on the merger, Mr Hockey said.
