This article considers the requirement in a number of Australian investment treaties that a host state, following the referral of a dispute to arbitration before the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes, provide written consent to arbitration. The uncertainty around the practical operation of such provisions is problematic. It remains to be seen how International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) tribunals will address this requirement as Australian investors become more engaged with investor-state arbitration. One would hope that a more ‘laid back’ approach to consent prevails.
Journal of International Arbitration