ACCCount details the ACCC’s enforcement, compliance, merger, adjudication, economic regulation, market studies, advocacy and international activities during the April to June 2018 quarter.

In this quarter:

  • Nine ACCC court proceeding were concluded, with a total of $65.25 million in penalties ordered, including:
    • $15 million against Air New Zealand for its role in a global air cargo cartel.
    • $12.5 million against Flight Centre for attempting to induce three international airlines to enter into price fixing arrangements.
    • $10 million against Telstra for making false or misleading representations to customers in relation to its third-party billing service known as “Premium Direct Billing”.
    • $9 million against Apple for making false or misleading representations to customers with faulty iPhones and iPads about their rights under the Australian Consumer Law.
    • $4.6 million against Thermomix for making false or misleading representations and misleading the public in relation to its Thermomix kitchen appliances.
  • The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (following an investigation by the ACCC) laid criminal cartel charges against ANZ, Deutsche Bank, Citigroup as well as six senior executives and former executives.
  • The ACCC provided the Treasurer with its final report into the supply of retail electricity and the competitiveness of retail electricity prices in the National Electricity Market.
  • The ACCC published the final report of its communications sector market study which allowed the ACCC to deepen its understanding of developments in the Australian communications sector and to enable it to subsequently address market failures in the future.
  • The ACCC published its annual Airport Monitoring Report for 2016-17 which revealed that Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney airports all significantly increased their profits from aeronautical activities in 2016-17.
  • The ACCC published its annual Water Monitoring Report for 2016-17 which found that this was a largely stable period for most on-river and off-river infrastructure operators within the Murray-Darling Basin.