Displaying items by tag: Rod Sims

Former ACCC chair Rod Sims says under the terms of an ongoing Treasury review into the News Media Bargaining Code, social media giant Facebook should be forced to negotiate and strike content deals with outlets like SBS and The Conversation.

The Australian consumer watchdog has taken Facebook parent Meta to the Federal Court, accusing the company of placing false, misleading or deceptive ads for cryptocurrencies featuring Australian celebrities.

The development of new upfront rules that force dominant digital platforms to treat their users fairly is the important next step in reforming Australia’s consumer protection laws, says ACCC chair Rod Sims.

Australia's consumer watchdog is seeking input from consumers, businesses and others as it examines legislative options to address the dominance of digital platforms.

A well-known telecommunications consultant has thrown his support behind a call by ACCC chairman Rod Sims for the government to treat the costs of the NBN as sunk and focus on getting the best use out of the network.

The competition regulator the ACCC has cleared the way for the proposed acquisition of Aviation Training Holdings Pty Ltd - trading as Ansett Aviation Training (AAT)) - by Aviation Training Partners (ATP).

The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (CDPP) has withdrawn charges against Citigroup Global Markets Australia Pty Limited (Citigroup), Deutsche Bank AG and four senior banking executives in relation to criminal cartel allegations arising from an ANZ institutional share placement in August 2015.

Public sector agencies have been warned to be alert to the potential for collusion between bidders during procurement processes, following a recent ACCC investigation where departmental processes contemplated cooperation by competing businesses on government tenders.

The competition watchdog, the ACCC, has called for measures addressing Google’s dominance in search engine services, including a choice screen that provides consumers with a selection of search engines, to be introduced in Australia.

Google's dominance in the advertising technology supply chain is harming both companies and individuals, the ACCC says in a report published on Tuesday.

The chief of Australia’s competition watchdog, Rod Sims, has been confirmed as the new vice chair digital co-ordination and Asia-Pacific liaison of the International Competition Network (ICN).

The Australian competition watchdog has given the go-ahead for the proposed merger of BPAY Group and its subsidiaries eftpos and New Payments Platform Australia.

New rules and regulations may be needed in addition to enforcement action by competition regulators worldwide to rectify concerns about the dominance of Apple and Google in app marketplaces, ACCC chair Rod Sims said.

The competition watchdog the ACCC has granted interim authorisation to allow the Australian Banking Association (ABA) and banks to continue to work together on a variety of existing COVID-19 related relief packages, so they can respond to any further outbreaks as required.

The majority of money remitters reviewed by the ACCC are now giving consumers the tools they need to easily compare the total price of international money transfers, according to the competition watchdog, the ACCC.

The competition regulator and enforcement agency the ACCC is seeking views on a court enforceable undertaking which has been offered by Industry Committee Administration (ICA), the company representing three Australian payment services providers seeking to merge.

The Lorna Jane womens activewear manufacturer and retailer has been ordered by the Federal Court to pay $5 million in penalties for making false and misleading representations to consumers, and engaging in conduct liable to mislead the public in connection with the promotion and supply of its LJ Shield Activewear.

The ACCC is examining competition and consumer concerns with general online retail marketplaces such as eBay Australia, Amazon Australia, Kogan and Catch.com.au as part of its inquiry into digital platform services in Australia.

Cuts in oil production by the OPEC cartel and other big producers, combined with a pick-up in global fuel demand, led to higher petrol prices in Australia’s five largest capital cities in the March 2021 quarter, according to the latest petrol monitoring report from the ACCC.

Major falls in wholesale electricity costs and new laws requiring retailers to pass on cuts are likely to result in lower electricity bills in 2021, despite residential consumption rising by 10% and household bills increasing by 7% in 2020, according to competition regulator the ACCC.