Competition Regulation in Australia: A Report Card (The 2011 Colin Clark Lecture)
21 Pages Posted: 22 Nov 2011
Date Written: November 17, 2011
Abstract
In this paper I present a 'report card' on the current state of Australia’s competition laws, focusing on antitrust laws. I consider the three core antitrust provisions in the Australian Competition and Consumer Act (2010) – the laws against cartels, abuse of market power and anticompetitive mergers. In each of these areas, particularly cartels, I find that Australia’s laws could be significantly improved. I also consider more innovative reforms to Australia’s competition regulations, to improve the transparency of pricing and to reduce customer switching costs. I note that these reforms have been broadly successful.
Keywords: competition regulation, antitrust, ATM reform, bank account portability, Colin Clark
JEL Classification: K21, L40
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation