Australian investors will have the oppertunity to invest in Facebook at the expense of US investors after Goldman Sachs decided to exclude U.S. clients due to the attention that Facebook is currently getting in the US media.

Australians will have the oppertunity to invest in Facebook at the expense of US investors after Goldman Sachs decided to exclude U.S. clients due to the attention that Facebook is getting in the US media.

The investment bank is set to offer as much as $1.5 billion in shares of the social-networking company which is set to benefit from the Facebook movie which clean up at last nights Golden Globe Awards In Hollywood.

In a statement provided to The Wall Street Journal, Goldman said the move came after officials at the New York securities firm “concluded the level of media attention might not be consistent with the proper completion of a U.S. private placement under U.S. law.”

Goldman began notifying clients of its decision on Sunday night in Australia, Asia, and Europe.

In its statement, Goldman said the decision to limit the offering to “offshore” investors wasn’t “required or requested by any other party,” including the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A Facebook spokesman said that Goldman “is in the best position to answer any questions.”

Accordintg to the Wall Street Journal a total of about $7 billion in orders for Facebook shares has poured in, according to a person familiar with the matter.