The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is an independent statutory authority. It was formed in 1995 to administer the Trade Practices Act 1974 and other acts.
The ACCC promotes competition and fair trade in the market place to benefit consumers, business and the community. It also regulates national infrastructure industries. Its primary responsibility is to ensure that individuals and businesses comply with the Commonwealth's competition, fair trading and consumer protection laws.
The ACCC is the only national agency dealing generally with competition matters and the only agency with responsibility for enforcing the Trade Practices Act and the state/territory application legislation.
In fair trading and consumer protection its role complements that of the state and territory consumer affairs agencies which administer the mirror legislation of their jurisdictions, and the Competition and Consumer Policy Division of the Commonwealth Treasury.
As well as education and information the ACCC recommends dispute resolution when possible as an alternative to litigation, can authorise some anti-competitive conduct, and will take legal action when necessary. We provide a range of plain language publications, most being available on this website.
ACCC initiatives include promoting consumer education in rural areas and with indigenous communities.
The Trade Practices Act’s purpose is to enhance the welfare of Australians through the promotion of competition and fair trading and provision for consumer protection.
The Act deals with almost all aspects of the marketplace: the relationships between suppliers, wholesalers, retailers, competitors and customers.
In broad terms the Act covers unfair market practices, industry codes, mergers and acquisitions of companies, product safety, product labelling, price monitoring, and the regulation of industries such as telecommunications, gas, electricity and airports.
The major parts of the Act are:
Part IIIA—third party access to nationally significant, essential facilities
Part IV—anti-competitive practices
Part IVA—unconscionable conduct in commercial and consumer transactions
Part IVB—industry codes of conduct
Part V—unfair practices, product safety and information, country of origin representations, conditions and warranties, misleading and deceptive conduct
Part VA—liability of manufacturers and importers for defective goods
Part VC—criminal conduct in fair trading and consumer protection
Part VII—authorisations and notifications
Part VIIA—price monitoring and surveillance relating to industries or businesses declared by the Australian Government
Part X—international liner cargo shipping
Part XIB—anti-competitive conduct in telecommunications
Part XIC—access to services for telecommunications.
The ACCC has a wide range of publications dealing with its functions and the legislation for which it is responsible. Some are general while others address specific aspects of the law or the ACCC’s administration of it. All publications are listed on this site and most are available online (see Related topics box). Copyright restrictions apply to all information on this site.
The ACCC has a network of offices in all capital cities and Townsville to handle public complaints and inquiries (see: Related topics). Staff can give guidance to business and consumers on their rights and obligations under the law, but not legal advice.
