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ARTICLE · 28 JANUARY 2007

Amendments to the Trade Practices Act Now In Effect

DLA Piper Australia
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Amendments to the Trade Practices Act now in effect Recent amendments to the Trade Practices Act (TPA) in effect from 1 January 2007 change the application of significant competition law provisions in the TPA and some ACCC procedures. This Update identifies the key changes and discusses their impact.

AustraliaCorporate/Commercial Law
Susan Yee-Kong
Susan Yee-Kong

Recent amendments to the Trade Practices Act (TPA) in effect from 1 January 2007 change the application of significant competition law provisions in the TPA and some ACCC procedures. This Update identifies the key changes and discusses their impact.

Key amendments

1. Mergers and acquisitions:

  • New formal clearance system introduced (in addition to the informal clearance system).
  • Direct access to the Australian Competition Tribunal (ACT) for authorisation of a merger.

2. Authorisations

  • Statutorily enforceable six month time limit for decisions.

3. Collective bargaining

  • New notification process that could benefit SMEs.

4. Joint Ventures

  • New price fixing and primary boycott exceptions.

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