On 27 October 2016 the Treasurer, the Hon Scott Morrison MP issued a notice requiring the ACCC to hold an inquiry into the competitiveness of prices, trading practices and the supply chain in the Australian dairy industry.

On 28 September 2017 the Treasurer extended the reporting period for the inquiry.

The ACCC released its interim report on 30 November 2017 and sought industry feedback.

The final report following the Dairy Inquiry was released on 30 April 2018.

On 4 September 2018, the ACCC published a guide to the mandatory code recommendation.