The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has renewed its calls for the government to adopt its proposed reforms to the merger regime, warning that consumers and businesses will pay the price for continuing anti-competitive mergers which enable parties to engage in ālegal brinkmanshipā with the regulator.
Honda Australia has been hit with a $6 million penalty for misleading communications made to customers of three dealerships during a restructuring in which the car maker’s shuttered its independent dealer network in favour of an agency model.
Despite proposing a divestiture as part of its planned takeover of Healius, Australian Clinical Labs has failed to win the approval of the competition regulator for the $1.5 billion deal.
The consumer watchdog has asked a court to impose a $15 million penalty against Airbnb in addition to a $15 million consumer redress scheme, in a case alleging the vacation rental giant misled Australian consumers by displaying prices inĀ US dollars.Ā
The ACCC has signed off on Viva Energy’s $1.15 billion acquisition of South Australia-based convenience store chain On The Run Group, after it agreed to divest 25 Coles Express sites in the state.
Online mattress retailer Emma Sleep faces enforcement action by the ACCC alleging the company’s ad campaigns were false and misleading when they implied prices had been discounted and that sales offers would not last long.
Google’s Fitbit has been ordered to pay $11 million for misleading statements about customers’ rights to refunds or replacements for faulty devices.
Australia Post has agreed to compensate business for lost or damaged parcels after admitting it likely engaged in misleading or deceptive conduct when it refused claims for compensation.
ANZ has criticised the ACCCās objection to its planned $4.9 billion merger with Suncorp, arguing before a tribunal that the alleged “uncertain” effects on competition in banking was not a sufficient reason to block the deal.
Qantas has hit back the ACCC’s argument that the airline failed to respond to key allegations in its ‘ghost flights’ case, telling the court it’s the regulator’s job to particularise its claims.