The ACCC will allow the Battery Stewardship Council to establish and operate a ‘national scheme for managing expired batteries’.

A new ‘Multilateral Mutual Assistance and Cooperation Framework for Competition Authorities’ has been signed by the US DOJ and FTC, the UK CMA, the New Zealand Commerce Commission, the Competition Bureau of Canada and he ACCC.

The ACCC has announced that supermarket operators will be allowed to continue cooperating ‘to ensure supply of food and groceries in response to the COVID-19 pandemic’.

The ACCC has issued a media release in response to Facebook’s threat to prevent sharing news on its service in Australia in response to the draft media bargaining code.

Facebook has now added to Google’s attacks on the proposed platforms/media code of conduct in the form of a blog by local managing director, Will Easton.

Former general manager of sales and marketing at BlueScope Steel Limited, Jason Ellis, has entered a guilty plea to ‘one charge of inciting the obstruction of Commonwealth public officials in the performance of their functions’.

The ACCC has advised competition lawyers that, from Tuesday, where mergers are completed without prior notification to the ACCC, any post-merger review will not be placed on the ACCC’s public merger register.

Glencore has won its appeal over access charges to Port of Newcastle. The matter has been remitted to the Tribunal.

The ACCC has granted an authorisation for the NSW Minerals Council and ten coal producers to collectively bargain with the Port of Newcastle in relation to the export of coal and other materials.

The ACCC has published a statement of issues outlining preliminary competition concerns associated with South Pacific Laundry’s proposed acquisition of Spotless Laundries

The Government has announced a new study to be conducted by the ACCC into bargaining power in the supply chains for perishable agricultural products.

The ACCC has announced it will not oppose Alstom’s acquisition of Bombardier’s transportation business. Both are global rail businesses operating in Australia.

The ACCC has announced it will not oppose Metcash’s proposed acquisition of a 70% majority interest in Total Tools Holdings (franchisor of Total Tools network).

ACCC responds to Google open letter

ACCC: “statements or warnings regarding potential security or safety risks associated with screen scraping and sharing passwords … does not appear to have the purpose or effect of substantially lessening competition.”

ACCC delays decision in Google/Fitbit mergers

The ACCC has authorised Ingham’s Group and other chicken processors to work together to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on the chicken meat industry.

The ACCC has commenced a self-initiated review of the chicken meat industry in Australia. It will run until December 2020 focusing on commercial relationships between growers and processors.

ACCC Chair, Rod Sims, made a speech to the Australian-Israel Chamber of Commerce (WA) yesterday, addressing (in part) concerns about the ‘growing economic power and influence of the digital platforms’, observing that regulators must keep pace with their development.