The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has decided to allow the Recruitment and Consulting Services Association to make minor changes to current arrangements for which it has protection under the Trade Practices Act 1974.
The RCSA's members are required to agree to abide by a Code of Conduct. The RCSA's protected arrangements allow it to sanction members that breach the code. The changes allow for additional flexibility in the disciplinary and dispute resolution process.
"The ACCC considers the minor variations to the RCSA's authorisation may result in swifter resolution of grievances against RCSA members," ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel said today. "This is likely to lower costs to complainants and generate more satisfactory outcomes for all parties involved in a grievance. It may also allow the RCSA to resolve more cases in a given period."
The ACCC's determination on this matter is available from www.accc.gov.au/AuthorisationsRegister.
Authorisation provides immunity from court action for conduct that might otherwise raise concerns under the competition provisions of the Act. Broadly, the ACCC may grant an authorisation when it is satisfied that the public benefit from the conduct outweighs any public detriment. The ACCC conducts a comprehensive public consultation process and issues a draft determination before making a decision to grant or deny authorisation.