There is a burgeoning body of consumer scholarship that identifies a consumer-citizen identity, reconstructing the consumer as a social and political actor and not just an economic actor. In food systems dominated by supermarkets, some hail the coming of the consumer-citizen as an antidote to...

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has completed its landmark inquiry into Digital Platforms and produced a lengthy final report with extensive recommendations to Government. This short note reflects on why the inquiry is considered ground-breaking and crystallises its major...

Leniency policies are seen as having revolutionised anti-cartel law enforcement around the world. However, the approach taken to these policies has the hallmarks of religion as much as revolution. A growing body of research and practical experience suggests that caution is warranted in...

This survey has been undertaken in connection with a research project (The Cartel Project) that investigates various aspects of the criminalisation of cartel conduct in Australia. In section 1 of the Report we set out the background to cartel criminalisation in Australia (section 1.1) and...

The purpose of this article is to evaluate empirically the case for a proposed competition policy law reform. If implemented, the reform would roll back land-use planning regulation, so that supermarket businesses enjoy greater freedom to regulate privately where and with what format they site...

Competition authorities increasingly favour criminal sanctions for ‘hard core’ cartel conduct. However, the empirical case for criminalisation is thin. This article reports on ‘first of its kind’ empirical research that interrogates the key justifications offered by enforcers in support...

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s Immunity Policy for Cartel Conduct is seen as a vital tool in detecting, stopping, prosecuting and deterring cartel conduct. In May 2013 the ACCC announced that it is conducting a review of the policy. The review is significant because,...

Australia is set to become the latest in a growing number of countries to join the United States' "coalition of the willing" with respect to the criminalisation of serious cartel conduct. However, there are emerging questions as to whether criminalisation has sufficient support amongst key...