Displaying items by tag: Rod Sims

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.

Millions of Australian consumers will pay more for their mobile phone plans after recent price increases by all three big telco companies, according to new analysis by the competition regulator, the ACCC.

Australian electronic goods retailer digiDirect – trading as Digital Imaging Express Pty Ltd – has paid $39,240 in penalties after the ACCC issued the company three infringement notices for allegedly misleading consumers about the details of advertised sales in breach of the Australian Consumer Law (ACL).

Independent petrol retail chains Speedway, Metro Petroleum, United, Vibe and FuelXpress had the cheapest petrol in Australia’s eight capital cities in 2020, according to a new report by Australia’s competition watchdog.

Telcos Dodo and iPrimus have been ordered to pay $1.5 million and $1 million respectively in penalties for making misleading claims about their NBN broadband speeds.

The proposed acquisition of Slack Technologies by Salesforce will not be opposed by the competition regulator the ACCC.

The competition watchdog, the ACCC, has sought leave to appear at the hearing of Epic Games appeal to the Full Federal Court against an earlier Court decision to stay Epic’s proceedings against Apple.

ACCC Commissioner Sarah Court has been appointed to the position of Deputy Chair at Australia’s national corporate, markets, financial services and consumer credit regulator, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC),

Australia’s competition regulator, the ACCC, has granted interim authorisation for Country Press Australia (CPA) members to collectively negotiate with Facebook and Google over payments to publishers for their news content that appears on the platforms.  

The Federal Court has found that Google LLC and Google Australia Pty Ltd misled consumers about personal location data collected through Android mobile devices between January 2017 and December 2018.

The current period of structural upheaval in Australia’s energy sector provides an opportunity for more affordable energy- and savings for consumers - and must not be wasted, according to Australia’s competition watchdog chief Rod Sims.