Release of the OECD’s Pecuniary Penalties for Competition Law Infringements in Australia report
ACCC Chairman Rod Sims' speech on the release of the OECD’s Pecuniary Penalties for Competition Law Infringements in Australia report.
Business responsibilities
OECD finds Australian competition law penalties are significantly lower
The ACCC will re-think its approach to penalties for breaches of the competition law after an OECD report found that average Australian penalties are significantly lower than those imposed in other comparable OECD jurisdictions.
2018 compliance & enforcement priorities
In his annual CEDA address, Chairman Rod Sims launched the ACCC's 2018 Compliance and Enforcement policy. This year, the ACCC will focus on consumer issues in broadband services and energy, competition in the financial services and commercial construction sectors, systemic consumer guarantee issues, and conduct that may contravene the new misuse of market power and concerted practices provisions.
Country of origin representations: when you can safely make an origin claim
Do you sell goods in Australia? Do you know when you can safely make a country of origin claim? Don’t get caught out! Watch this video to ensure your claim won’t raise concerns under the Australian Consumer Law.
Airlines need to comply with consumer law
With over 10 million passengers flying last December and January, the ACCC has today released a report Airlines: Terms and conditions ahead of the busy Christmas travel season to remind travellers of their rights.
Section 46 no defence for uncompetitive firms
ACCC Chairman Rod Sims has delivered a warning to Australian firms: the competition watchdog is not going to protect them from competition.
Delivering a speech in Sydney today, Mr Sims outlined how the recently legislated changes to the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (CCA), especially s46, help the ACCC protect the competitive process by allowing firms, big and small, to compete on their merits.
Populism and the CCA
ACCC Chairman Rod Sims explains how recent changes to the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (CCA) help protect the competitive process, and why 2018 will be a great year for competition.
Small Business unfair contract terms in focus
The ACCC is continuing to educate business and take enforcement action to ensure that small businesses receive the protections of the new unfair contract terms laws.
Since 12 November last year, when the laws were extended to small business contracts, the ACCC has taken successful court action against a major waste management company, JJ Richards & Sons Pty Ltd, for unfair contract terms including an automatic five-year rollover clause, a unilateral price variation term and a broad indemnity provision.
ACCC concludes investigation into ALDI 'flushable' wipes
The ACCC has completed its investigation into ALDI’s ‘flushable’ wipes and will take no further action after ALDI stopped selling its personal hygiene wipes and removed potentially misleading claims from its bathroom cleaning wipes packaging.
In July this year, the ACCC raised concerns with ALDI regarding its promotion of certain ‘flushable’ wipes products. At the time, ALDI was promoting the Green Action Flushable Bathroom Cleaning Wipes (100pk) in its Special Buys catalogue.
Advanced Hair offers part refunds for unfair contracts
Advanced Hair Studio Pty Ltd (Advanced Hair) will partly refund some customers who purchased the Advanced Laser Therapy Program between April 2015 and June 2017, following ACCC concerns that Advanced Hair’s contract contained terms that were unfair.
Advanced Hair supplies hair loss treatments and procedures including laser therapy as part of 3-12 month programs.
One of the cancellation clauses in Advanced Hair’s contracts required customers to pay the entire cost of the program even if they had attended only one or two laser sessions.