The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has given the green light to pork processor JBS Australia to proceed with its proposed $175 million acquisition of a Singapore-owned pig farm and abattoir business, despite competition concerns raised by pig farmers.
A senior ACCC officer tried to dissuade ASIC from investigating alleged insider trading by JPMorgan because of fears it would āupsetā the competition regulatorās criminal cartel case over a $2.5 billion ANZ share placement, a court has heard.
The CFMMEU and two of its officers have been hit with a $554,600 penalty for allegedly using the union’s ācovert industrial muscleā to pressure a New South Wales crane company to bend to its bargaining demands.
A senior ACCC officer was probed Tuesday on whether the competition regulator updated its guidelines for taking witness statements in July in response to criticism of investigators’ methods in the cartel probe over ANZ’s $2.5 billion share placement.
Banking giant Westpac has admitted to allegations in six new cases by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission alleging widespread compliance failures across multiple businesses, and will agree to pay a combined $100 million penalty.
Specialist workplace relations consultancy Employsure has been ordered to pay a $1 million penalty over a series of misleading Google advertisements, a figure significantly lower than the $5 million sought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
The former director of investment management fund Courtenay House is facing a slew of criminal charges after an investigation by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission allegedly revealed he duped 590 investors in a $196 million Ponzi scheme.
Apple and Google’s legal woes in Australia are set to worsen, with a leading class action firm preparing to file class actions against the Silicon Valley giants for alleged competition and consumer law violations.
La Trobe Financial Asset Management will pay just $750,000 for misleading investors in its 48 hour and 90 day notice accounts over a period of more than three years, with a judge saying the company would have faced a penalty “well in excess” of this amount if not for reassuring correspondence from ASIC during its investigation.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has appointed an esteemed Herbert Smith Freehills competition partner who defeated some of the regulator’s most high-profile merger challenges to be a commissioner.