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ARTICLE · 01 MARCH 2016

ACCC priorities for 2016: fines, farmers and more studies

Clayton Utz
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It will be very interesting to see how the criminal cartel prosecutions unfold and any successes in competition cases.

AustraliaAntitrust/Competition Law
Michael Corrigan
Michael Corrigan
Ian Reynolds (Formerly With Clayton Utz)
Ian Reynolds (Formerly With Clayton Utz)
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Key Points:

It will be very interesting to see how the first criminal cartel prosecutions unfold and whether any successes in achieving larger fines in competition cases change the ACCC's approach to bringing and/or settling enforcement actions.

The ACCC's enforcement priorities for the year ahead, announced yesterday by ACCC Chair Rod Sims, offer some interesting refinements on previous focus areas:

  • higher fines for cartels and anticompetitive arrangements: the ACCC may seek larger penalties in this area and may bring the first criminal cartel case this year;
  • agriculture will be the key sector focus: a market inquiry into the competitiveness of agriculture supply chains will be held under the guidance of newly appointed agriculture Commissioner, Mick Keogh; and

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