Australian Competition and Consumer Comission

The provisions of the Competition Consumer Act 2000 (CCA) are administered by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) as an independent statutory authority. The ACCC, formed in 1995, is the only agency responsible for enforcing the Competition Consumer Act.

The main responsibility of the ACCC is to promote competition and fair trade in the market place which is designed to benefit consumers, business and the community. Included in this responsibility is to ensure that individuals and businesses comply with the Commonwealth's competition, fair trading and consumer protection laws.

In relation to competition matters, the ACCC is the only national agency dealing with this, however, in regards to fair trading and consumer protection the ACCC's role complements that of the state and territory consumer affairs agencies which have the responsibility of administering the mirror legislation of their jurisdictions, as well as the Competition and Consumer Policy Division of the Commonwealth Treasury.

The ACCC also recommends as an alternative to litigation, dispute resolution in appropriate cases and has the power to authorise anti-competitive conduct as well as the power to take legal action when necessary.

In providing some background information on the CCA, its main purpose is to enhance the welfare of Australians through the promotion of competition and fair trading and provision for consumer protection. The CCA deals with the majority of the different market place facets including the relationships between competitors, customers, suppliers, wholesalers and retailers.

The CCA covers the following: unfair market practices, industry codes, merges and acquisitions of companies, product safety, product labeling, price monitoring, and the regulation of industries such as telecommunications, gas, electricity and airports.

The following instances are some examples of the cases that the ACCC handles in relation to the CCA:

Resale Price Maitenance

Compensation for Vehicle Owners

Website Errors

Microwave Size Claims

Digital Camera Resale Price Maitenance

Freight Charge Investigation

'Waterproof' Radio only 'Splashproof'

Un-Australian Honey