Google and Facebook will find it harder to take over firms that aren’t yet competitors, but the regulator has offered little to the operators of traditional newspaper, radio and television outlets.
- Professor, Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne
Competition policy in Australia is undermined by not knowing if it is right to let the vast majority of corporate mergers go ahead.
Compare the ACCC to ASIC and it’s clear why
Rod Sims has been reappointed to a record third term as Australia’s top competition and consumer cop.
The US and Europe approach tech regulation very differently due to their historical contexts. Where does Australia’s fit in?
The successful prosecution of the first criminal cartel case may be seen as a vindication of the decision to criminalise cartel conduct.
The level of corporate fines for anti-competitive conduct in Australia is woefully below international benchmarks.
The government will adopt an “effects” test to combat anti-competitive behaviour. It should ensure meaningful penalties are attached.
In kicking the can down the road on section 46, the federal government has chosen good politics over good law.
Some say the only way to smash the Coles/Woolworths duopoly is more regulation and a consumer backlash, but this assumes all power is used for evil.
Supermarket giants are predictably opposed to
Harper Review’s effects test, but the report is a mixed bag when it comes to other retail competition issues.
In the space of just six months, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has launched two major cases against supermarket giant Coles for alleged unconscionable conduct against its suppliers…
Restrictions on retail trading hours, taxis, pharmacies and parallel imports should be lifted according to a far-reaching draft report by the Competition Policy Review. Professor Ian Harper’s new report…
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s latest foray into the difficult and politically charged arena of petrol pricing is just the latest in a long running saga that is unlikely to be resolved…
The new draft voluntary code of conduct between supermarket giants Coles and Woolworths and their suppliers has so far elicited responses ranging from cynicism to cautious optimism. Supporters point out…
Australia’s competition watchdog is reviewing one of its most powerful weapons in its cartel enforcement arsenal - its immunity policy. Widely seen as the most harmful type of anti-competitive conduct…
Close scrutiny and tough sanctioning of cartel conduct (involving price fixing, market sharing, output reduction and bid rigging by competing businesses) has been a focus of competition law and enforcement…
When the appointment of Rod Sims as chairman of the competition watchdog was announced earlier this year, there was disquiet among some competition lawyers. Would Sims, an economist, readily appreciate…
The recent settlement of a class action against cardboard manufacturers, Visy and Amcor, has been reported as providing a further boost to the “crackdown” on cartels in Australia. Unfortunately, coverage…
Contact Caron for
- General
- Media request
- Speaking request
- Consulting / Advising
- Research collaboration
- Research supervision
- Location: Melbourne, Australia
- Website
- X (formerly Twitter): @CaronBW
- Article Feed
- Joined
