As part of its continuing focus on small business and rural and regional issues, staff from the Western Australian office of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission will visit Corrigin* on Saturday 20 October to talk with small business owners and the community.
At a forum the ACCC staff will outline the ACCC's role, particularly in the rural and regional sector. Small businesses and community members will be able to discuss the ways in which the Trade Practices Act applies to rural and regional based businesses and consumers.
The ACCC has an important role to ensure that business operators, their advisers and consumers know their rights and obligations. The objective of the Act is to enhance the welfare of all Australians through the promotion of competition and fair trading and to provide for consumer protection.
The forum will be held at the Cyril Box Pavilion, which overlooks the Corrigin football oval, from 4.00 p.m., and will involve a presentation, followed by questions. It is expected that the main topics will be:
- the price and quality of goods and services available to rural businesses and consumers
- price fixing and other anti-competitive behaviour
- competition policy and the role of the ACCC
- franchising
- consumer protection
- GST issues
*Corrigin is in the eastern wheatbelt of Western Australia.