In this month’s Competition and Market Regulation Update we explore the latest news including eBay’s scrapping of a proposal to mandate PayPal use, a United Kingdom court’s jail sentence of three businessmen for cartel involvement, and a Visy chairman’s facing of criminal charges over evidence given to the ACCC.

In this month’s Competition and Market Regulation Update we explore the latest news including the intriguing developments in the alleged ‘air cargo cartel’, the Federal Court’s clarification on meaning of ‘in trade or commerce’ for professional associations, the introduction of a Bill for national FuelWatch scheme and insights into the United Kingdom’s groceries market investigation.

Yesterday, the Productivity Commission (commission) released its final report ‘Review of Australia's Consumer Policy Framework’. The report advocates a more nationally coherent policy framework in this area. It proposes that the Australian Government has greater responsibility for the administration of the laws. The report notes the difficulties due to inconsistent state, territory and Commonwealth regimes, and advocates the introduction of a ‘generic law’ for consumer policy, which would be implemented via review of the consumer protection provisions of the Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth).

In this month’s Competition and Market Regulation Update we explore the latest news including the latest package of reforms to protect small business, the decision in a landmark United Kingdom test case relating to bank charges, the ACCC’s change of mind relating to the PET bottle merger, and the government’s announcement of the National FuelWatch Scheme.

In this month’s Competition and Market Regulation Update we explore the latest news including an update of the ACCC’s grocery inquiry, the recent Federal Court decisions on disclosure of ACCC documents, Telstra’s loss in High Court case, and the United States Government’s failure to extradite Mr Norris on price fixing charges.

In this month’s Competition and Market Regulation Update we explore the latest news including the publication of draft merger guidelines, clearance of the Borders acquisition, the ACCC’s fight to keep witness statements of immunity applicant secret, the ACCC’s warning for businesses to ‘be honest’, and the United Kingdom regulator criticised over controversial press release.

In this month’s Competition and Market Regulation Update we explore the latest news including the government getting tough on cartel conduct, the United Kingdom’s first criminal prosecution for cartel conduct, the ACCC report on the petrol industry, the AEMC recommendation that the energy retail price regulation be removed, an examination of grocery prices, the ACCC takes on ‘Grrrrrreen’ marketing, and the ACCC says ‘no’ to collective bargaining in hospitals.

The much anticipated draft new merger guidelines were released by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for public comment on Friday. The draft guidelines outline the principles used by the ACCC to analyse the competitive effects of mergers and acquisitions.

In this month's Competition and Market Regulation Update we explore the latest news including the Rudd Government's competition initiatives, Telstra’s High Court Constitutional challenge, and the New Zealand High Court's overturn of NZCC on Foodstuffs, Woolworths, The Warehouse.

This outline covers what's new in Australian merger control.

In this month's Competition and Market Regulation Update we explore the latest news including a preview of the 2007 federal election, record fines for Visy and its executives, and the ACCC's opposition to Woolworths' proposed acquisition of Kmart.

On 25 September 2007, the Trade Practices Act was amended to include the now infamous ‘Birdsville’ amendment prohibiting corporations with a ‘substantial market share’ pricing below ‘relevant cost’ in certain circumstances—conduct with the popular but misleading label of ‘predatory pricing’.

In this month's Competition and Market Regulation Update we explore the latest news including the controversial below cost pricing ‘Birdsville amendment’ taking effect, the ACCC homing in on the petrol industry, and mergers in media, retail and home entertainment.

In this month's Competition and Market Regulation Update we explore the latest news including the High Court ruling that Crown immunity does not extend to Baxter.    

In this month's Competition and Market Regulation Update, we explore the latest news including the ACCC's attack on Google in court, the continuing crackdown on air-conditioning cartels, and we look at the South Australian surgeons who have received a combined $110,000 in penalties for price fixing.

In this month's Competition and Market Regulation Update, we explore the latest news including the ACCC inquiry underway on petrol prices, and anti-dumping undertakings in OneSteel/Smorgon merger.

A Bill to amend the Trade Practices Act 1974 was tabled in the House of Representatives today.

On 29 May 2007 the Federal Court dismissed the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s prosecution of eight Geelong petrol retailers for fixing petrol prices: ACCC v Leahy Petroleum. The press have suggested this decision is a massive blow to the Commission’s ability to police cartel conduct.

In this month's Competition and Market Regulation Update, we explore the latest news including the ACCC's loss in petrol price-fixing case, and look at the general mergers, acquisitions and takeovers updates.

Freehills partner, Bob Baxt, contributed the Australian chapter to The Handbook of Competition Enforcement Agencies, which was successfully launched at the American Bar Association's Antitrust Spring Meeting in Washington DC in April, 2007.