The proposed Harper competition reforms can boost national prosperity and help turn the tables on many years of past poor infrastructure policies and practices, ACCC Chairman Rod Sims said today at an Infrastructure Partnerships Australia conference in Sydney.
Addressing the Infrastructure Partnerships Australia Conference in Sydney, ACCC Chairman Rod Sims discusses how the proposed Harper competition reforms can boost national prosperity and help turn the tables on many years of poor infrastructure policies and practices. He presses the need for road reform outlining a way ahead that is "entirely doable and saleable" with two steps. Mr Sims also warns against privatising infrastructure assets with the wrong objective in mind and discusses the regulation of monopoly infrastructure.
At the Law Council of Australia's Business Law Competition and Consumer Committee AGM, Chairman Rod Sims presents a paper on the ACCC’s enforcement of competition law in the broad industrial relations arena. He describes difficulties with the law and outlines five areas for possible reform.
ACCC Chairman Rod Sims discusses three divides surrounding misuse of market power laws; the divide between what the words of section 46 mean to the wider public versus what they mean to competition insiders; the divide between Australia and the rest of the world; and, the divide between the focus on 'take advantage' and commercial and economic logic. Mr Sims suggests the proposed Harper reforms offer a way forward.
In his first speech of the year, Chairman Rod Sims launches the 2015 edition of the ACCC’s Compliance and Enforcement Policy at CEDA in Sydney. Mr Sims announces cartel conduct in government procurement, truth in advertising, competition and consumer issues in the health sector and industry codes as new priorities. He also outlines the ACCC’s role in ensuring privatisation delivers for consumers, improving the functioning of the financial system given the competition focus of the Murray report, ensuring a smooth transition for consumers to NBN services and reviewing water rules to improve outcomes in the Murray-Darling Basin.
The Federal Court has today, by consent, made declarations in two proceedings instituted by the ACCC that Coles Supermarkets Australia Pty Ltd engaged in unconscionable conduct in 2011 in its dealings with certain suppliers.
The Court has also ordered Coles pay combined pecuniary penalties of $10 million and costs.
Coles will also enter a court enforceable undertaking to the ACCC to establish a formal process to provide options for redress for over 200 suppliers referred to in the proceedings.
In her judgment, Justice Gordon said:
Addressing the Australian Farm Institute Conference in Melbourne, ACCC Chairman Rod Sims explains how Australian agriculture can benefit from better competition policy. Mr Sims comments on the 'national champions' argument and advocates important changes to collective bargaining. He also calls on the egg industry to review free range claims following a recent Federal Court decision.
ACCC Chairman Rod Sims addresses the Law Council of Australia, Competition & Consumer Committee Annual General Meeting in Brisbane. Mr Sims discusses gaps in the law which can damage economic efficiency and also do not reflect international best practice. He also covers merger policy, and the re-emergence of the 'national champions' argument and briefly comments on institutional issues.