Cracking cartels: International and Australian developments—law enforcement conference (24 November 2004)

The ACCC has brought together the world’s leading anti-cartel enforcers to discuss the latest techniques in detecting, investigating and taking action against cartels.

The keynote speakers are:

• Mr Graeme Samuel, Chairman, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
• Mr R. Hewitt Pate, Assistant Attorney-General, United States Department of Justice
• Ms Paula Rebstock, Chair, New Zealand Commerce Commission.

Other speakers include:

• Mr Scott Hammond Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney-General, Anti-trust Division, United States Department of Justice
• Mr Gary Spratling, Partner in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and co-chair of the firm's Antitrust Practice Group
• Mr Emil Paulis, Director, DG Competition, European Commission
• Mr Simon Williams, Director of Cartel Investigation, United Kingdom Office of Fair Trading
• Ms Colette Downie, Assistant Deputy Commissioner of Competition Criminal Matters, Competition Bureau, Canada
• Dr Felix Engelsing, Head of German and European Cartel Law Unit, BundesKartellamt, Germany
• Mr Kazuyuki Funahashi, Deputy Director-General of Investigation Bureau, Japan Fair Trade Commission
• Mr Joseph Seon Hur, Director General of the Cartel Bureau, Korea Fair Trade Commission.

Australian speakers will include the Honourable Justice Finkelstein, senior practitioners and ACCC representatives. 

International speakers will be in Sydney to participate in the International Competition Network (ICN) Cartel and Leniency Workshops to be hosted by the ACCC in the four days preceding the conference.

Topics include:

• A snapshot of leniency policies in Australia and overseas, and an evaluation and review of the ACCC’s leniency policy since it was introduced in June 2003. How are investigations conducted when leniency is involved?
• Cooperation between international agencies in detecting and investigating cartels. What issues do particular jurisdictions need to consider when targeting and dealing with cartels? What are the trends in particular jurisdictions?
• A Federal Court judge's view on the likely impact that the proposed criminalisation of trade practices breaches may have on the approach to penalties in general.
• An overview of the 2004 ICN Leniency Workshop.  

Location

Four Points by Sheraton, Sydney

Further information

Cost of the conference is $975.00 per person.

The conference program is attached below and includes a fax back registration form.  

If you wish to discuss any matter with the conference organisers, please contact Nicole Brangwin at enforcementconference@accc.gov.au or on 02 6243 1392.

Speech

The Cracking cartels speech was delivered by Graeme Samuel on 24 November 2004.