Category Archives: Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)

Vanessa Hudson has provided a soft landing for Qantas as the airline cuts deal with ACCC

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While the new CEO has stemmed some of the reputational damage of the past, the $120m fine is a clear success for the ACCC

In agreeing to pay a $100m penalty and compensate tens of thousands of customers to the tune of $20m for selling them tickets on already-cancelled flights, Qantas has abandoned its farcical claim that as an airline it doesn’t sell seats on a specific service, but rather a “bundle of rights”.

For new CEO Vanessa Hudson – who stepped into the top job eight months ago after allegations aired in the consumer watchdog’s legal action against Qantas hastened former boss Alan Joyce’s retirement – the landmark settlement is a retreat from her predecessor’s confrontational style that many argued had trashed the airline’s brand.

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Australia’s big supermarkets could face penalties of up to $10m under proposed mandatory code

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Government report stops short of recommending powers to break up big chains saying heavy fines and effective enforcement would be ‘a more credible deterrent’

Australia’s big supermarkets could face hefty fines as part of a federal government plan to make the grocery code of conduct mandatory and give it teeth.

A report ordered by the government – to be released on Monday – warns changes are needed to redress “a heavy imbalance in market power between suppliers and supermarkets in Australia’s heavily concentrated supermarket industry”.

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Australia politics live: Coalition slams Keating for China meeting; RBA tipped to hold rates

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Former PM called ‘reckless’ for accepting talks with foreign minister Wang Yi. Follow the day’s news live

Energy minister Chris Bowen is on a bit of a media blitz this morning.

More renewables are coming on to the grid, which is lowering the default price of energy, but this is Bowen’s main message (he is speaking to ABC radio RN here)

Nuclear is the most expensive form of energy in the world at the moment. There will be a real choice at the next election between the cheapest form of energy and the most expensive.

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Watchdog would get powers to ‘smash’ supermarket duopoly under Greens bill

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The party will table a private senator’s bill this week to enable the ACCC to force Coles and Woolworths to sell off parts of their business

Australia’s competition regulator would gain powers to “smash the supermarket duopoly” and force the breakup of big supermarket chains, under a push from the Greens to be introduced to federal parliament.

The Greens will this week table a private senator’s bill seeking to introduce divestiture powers into Australian competition law. The party’s economic justice spokesperson, Nick McKim, said they will seek support across the parliament for their plan which would allow the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to apply for a court order requiring large companies to divest assets if their market power is unfairly inflating prices or blocking competition.

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Australia news live: former Victorian MP Fiona Patten winds up Reason party and rules out political comeback; police to provide update in Samantha Murphy press conference

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NSW government urged to double social housing by 2050

Homelessness NSW is urging the state government to spend $1bn each year for a decade to double the supply of social housing by 2050.

NSW has failed to invest in social housing for decades. Last year, just one-fifth of people seeking help from homelessness services could find long-term accommodation.

Right now, many of the 57,000 households on the social housing waitlist are forced to wait up to a decade for a safe and stable place to call home.

Underfunded frontline providers are being flooded with calls for help and forced to turn away one in every two people who need accommodation. Services will be unable to keep staff on or their doors open without more funding.

Even for people who get through the door, help is limited. Half of those who need temporary or crisis accommodation cannot access it. That means women and children are forced to return to violent partners, seek shelter in a vehicle, on a couch or the street.

But there has been no improvement in closing the gap on life expectancy, with Indigenous Australian males and females expected to live 8.8 and 8.1 years respectively, less than other Australians.

The target to reduce the number of children in out of home care is not on track, while the target to reduce adult imprisonment is not on track and worsening.

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Competition watchdog to call for power of mandatory disclosure in investigations

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ACCC chief Gina Cass-Gottlieb wants legislaltion changed to enable it to force businesses to give up data without the need for government backing

The competition watchdog should have its powers increased so it can initiate its own inquiries with mandatory disclosure clout, says Gina Cass-Gottlieb, the head of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

The ACCC can now launch its own investigations, such as a probe into exorbitant foreign exchange transfer fees. However, the agency only has compulsory information collection powers if specifically directed by the government such as for its current probe into supermarket behaviour.

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Coles, Woolworths and Aldi ‘responsibly sourced’ salmon labels may be misleading, watchdog told

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Environmental groups allege some of the supermarkets’ salmon is from Tasmanian farms reportedly having ‘catastrophic’ impact on ancient Maugean skate

Major supermarkets may be misleading consumers that their salmon products are responsibly sourced as some is produced in Tasmanian farms that are “far from sustainable”, environmental groups say.

The Environmental Defenders Office, acting on behalf of four environmental groups, has made a complaint to the consumer watchdog, urging it to investigate whether “responsibly sourced” labelling on seafood products and promotional material used by Coles, Woolworths and Aldi have broken consumer law by misleading consumers.

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Labor accused of ‘dragging feet’ on reinstating program that monitors airlines for potential price-gouging

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Opposition says there’s ‘no excuse’ for further delays on the government reviving the ACCC flight monitoring regime


More than two weeks after announcing it was reviving an airline industry monitoring program, the Albanese government is yet to formally direct the competition watchdog to conduct the investigation.

After months of scrutiny into Qantas’s influence in the government’s decision to block rival Qatar Airways’ push to boost its flights to Australia, the Greens and independent senator David Pocock in October knocked back a proposal to extend a Senate inquiry on the topic.

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Former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce avoids Senate inquiry after push to extend probe knocked back

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Coalition motion to reconvene committee fails after Greens and David Pocock side with government

The former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce will not be forced to appear before a Senate inquiry after a Coalition proposal to extend the probe was knocked back by the Greens and David Pocock.

It comes as the federal government announced on Wednesday that the competition watchdog would recommence quarterly flight monitoring before the end of the year.

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Labor should review decision to block extra Qatar Airways flights to Australia, Senate inquiry says

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Committee seeks more time so it can quiz former Qantas boss Alan Joyce about the Albanese government’s Qatar Airways ruling

The Albanese government should immediately review its decision to block Qatar Airways from launching extra flights to Australia, a Senate inquiry has recommended, as it called for a significantly expanded role and powers for the competition and consumer watchdog in the sector.

The Senate select committee on bilateral air service agreements – set up to examine the rejection of Qatar Airways’ request to almost double its flights into Australia’s major airports – has also recommended its own extension to November so the former Qantas CEO Alan Joyce could front members upon his return to Australia, and so other Qantas representatives who provided “unsatisfactory” responses could be re-quizzed by senators.

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Australia news live: Lidia Thorpe claims Anthony Albanese trying to ‘shut me down’ over voice referendum

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Rain expected to ease over flooded regions in Victoria

The good news is no more rain is expected over flooded regions in Victoria, VicSES deputy chief officer David Baker told ABC News:

The big tap in the sky has been turned off. That’s great news for us. So what we’re dealing with now is what’s currently in the river systems that will need to flush itself through the systems. And we can assess that and we can manage that and put efforts in place to make sure that communities are out of harm’s way. So the good news is no more serious rain expected, and a pretty stable system, I understand, until at least … next week.

We estimate up to 130 properties may be impacted by the event, hence we issued an Emergency warning late yesterday afternoon which was renewed during the early hours of the morning.

It’s mainly homes in that area. Rural homes that may see what we call above floor inundation.

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Head of Australia’s competition watchdog calls for new mandate to police airline industry

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Exclusive: Gina Cass-Gottlieb says ACCC needs greater powers to help new entrants compete with Qantas and Virgin

The head of the competition watchdog has called for a fresh mandate from the Albanese government to monitor the airline industry and help new entrants compete with established players Qantas and Virgin.

The chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Gina Cass-Gottlieb, said the regulator sees “a case” for a mandate to look into competition, prices and industry practices after an earlier direction expired in June.

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‘Real love’ or false advertising? eHarmony sued by ACCC over ‘free dating’ offer

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Watchdog alleges US-based site misled consumers about pricing, renewal and duration of memberships

A popular online dating site has been accused by the consumer watchdog of entrapping singles by only showing them blurred photos of their matches and then locking them in a cycle of membership renewal.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission launched federal court action against the US-based eHarmony on Thursday, alleging it breached consumer law by making misleading statements about pricing, renewal and duration of memberships.

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Qantas board urged to withhold bonuses of Alan Joyce and senior executives

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Shareholders’ Association chief says an immediate response is needed if the airline is serious about restoring public trust

Alan Joyce and senior Qantas executives should have millions of dollars in bonuses withheld, its board has been urged after the airline conceded its reputation has been flamed and as momentum builds to investigate the airline’s special relationship with government.

The Australian Shareholders’ Association chief executive, Rachel Waterhouse, said that if the company is serious about restoring public trust after the surprise launch last week of legal action by the consumer watchdog there needed to be a more immediate response from the airline’s board.

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‘Confirmshaming’: report reveals subscription traps and hidden costs targeting Australian consumers

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Treasury paper identifies ways to crack down on unfair practices that nudge, manipulate or trick people into handing over money or data

The “Hotel California” subscription, or the one you can never leave. The relentless pop-ups triggering your fear of missing out. Hidden costs. Confusing terms and conditions. “Confirmshaming”, where companies make you feel like an idiot when you try to opt out of their emails.

These are among the “dark patterns” used unfairly by companies to nudge, manipulate, exploit and trick consumers into handing over money or data.

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hidden costs such as care plans or insurance;

disguised advertisements that link to external sites;

trick questions with confusing options for data consent;

scarcity cues that instil a fear of missing out (Fomo);

activity notifications about what other consumers are doing;

“confirmshaming” which makes consumers feel guilty or silly for opting out (such as ‘no thanks, I prefer to pay more’);

“Hotel California” or forced continuity, which stops customers cancelling online subscriptions or services;

false hierarchies where consumers are nudged towards a “preferred choice”;

redirection or nagging such as with pop-ups;

data-grabbing by forcing consumers to create profiles or having a default

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Car park fees and other charges kept Australia’s big airports profitable during Covid recovery

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Airports lost money on aviation operations between 2021 and 2023 but car parking remained a huge source of income

Australia’s major airports have all been haemorrhaging money from aviation operations, but were able to stay profitable during the Covid recovery from tens of millions of dollars in car parking fees, retail and other charges.

In its latest airport monitoring report of Australia’s four major airports – Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane – the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) renewed its recommendation to the government to require the airports to report more detailed data about the true costs of providing services to airlines and travellers.

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ACCC to compel companies to back up environmental claims with evidence

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Australia’s competition watchdog publishes draft guidelines in a bid to stamp out greenwashing

Companies should have evidence to back up claims they make about their environmental sustainability, according to draft guidelines developed by the competition watchdog in a bid to stamp out greenwashing.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) published the draft guidance on Friday after its recent greenwashing internet sweep identified concerning practices ranging from overstating climate action to companies developing their own certification schemes.

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Childcare fees in Australia outpace inflation with rises of up to 32%, report finds

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ACCC says number of centres charging above hourly rate cap has doubled as government’s cheaper childcare package comes into force

Childcare fees have outpaced inflation in the past five years, with rises of between 20% and 32% from 2018 to 2022 according to a report from the competition regulator.

Households are now paying 4% more for centre-based and outside-school-hours care, 6% more for family daycare and 15% more for in-home care services, once adjusted for inflation.

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$123.64 per child a day for centre-based daycare, with $48.60 out-of-pocket

$90.23 a child a day for family daycare ($28.92 out-of-pocket)

$30 per child a session for outside-school-hours care ($13.54 out-of-pocket)

$301.42 per family a day for in-home care ($60.69 out-of-pocket).

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Rex and Bonza call for immediate overhaul of Sydney airport laws to increase competition

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Exclusive: aviation leaders make plea to federal government, saying higher airfares and poorer service will persist without change

Rex Airlines, Bonza and Australia’s airports body are calling on the federal government to immediately make it easier for airlines to introduce flights at Sydney airport and challenge Qantas and Virgin, warning that higher air fares and poorer service will persist if nothing changes.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission this week savaged policy shortcomings that are shutting out meaningful competition and have allowed for a duopoly to develop in Australia’s aviation market.

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Qantas and Virgin given little incentive to cheapen air fares, watchdog warns

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ACCC warns airline industry is at ‘critical juncture’ with a developing duopoly stunting competition

Australian aviation is at a “critical juncture”, with policy shortcomings allowing for a duopoly marked by higher air fares and poorer service, the consumer watchdog warns, as it loses extra resources to scrutinise the sector.

Qantas Group – including budget carrier Jetstar – and Virgin Australia have carried 90% of domestic passengers over the past two decades, and as many as 94% in April this year, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s quarterly domestic aviation monitoring report released on Monday, the final edition of the three-year task.

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