*Please note that the links to the content in this Part will direct you to Westlaw AU.

To purchase an article, please email: [email protected] or contact us on 1300 304 195 (Australian customers) or +61 2 8587 7980 (international customers) during business hours (Mon-Fri, 8am-6pm AEST).

The latest issue of the Australian Journal of Competition and Consumer Law (Volume 29 Part 3) contains the following material

EDITORIAL

  • An Anniversary

Click here to access on New Westlaw

Articles

Do Androids Dream of Electronic Collusion? An Analysis of Algorithmic Collusion under Australian Law – Deniz Kayis

Sophisticated algorithms are becoming ever more commonplace. With them comes the risk of “algorithmic collusion”. That is, collusion enabled, facilitated or conducted by algorithms. Adopting the conceptual framework developed by Ezrachi and Stucke, this article examines the Australian legal system’s interaction with four potential ways in which algorithms could enable anti-competitive outcomes: as facilitators of traditional collusion, as digital connectors between hubs and spokes, as tools used unilaterally to enable stable tacit collusion and, finally, as autonomous self-learning actors. The article concludes that current statutory provisions may not be capable of overcoming the challenges associated with detecting, investigating and litigating algorithm-enabled co-operation.

Click here to access on New Westlaw

Proving Civil Cartel Conduct: Evidentiary Issues, “Commitment” and the Effect of the Concerted Practices Prohibition – Jarryd Cox

This article reviews the state of civil cartel liability in Australia with a focus on the difficulties faced by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission when prosecuting cartel conduct. The greatest stumbling block faced by the Commission when prosecuting civil cartel conduct is its substantial evidentiary burden. In comparison to other jurisdictions (United States and Europe), this evidentiary threshold is arbitrarily elevated due to proof of the element of “commitment” being a necessary condition of successfully prosecuting cartel conduct. The introduction of a concerted practices prohibition in the 2017 amendments to the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) is expected to aid the Commission in reducing anti-competitive behaviour. This article recommends that the Australian cartel laws be further amended for the purpose of establishing “commitment” as a sufficient but not necessary element of cartel liability.

Click here to access on New Westlaw

ACCESS TO SERVICES – Editor: John Hedge

  • Gas Pipeline Reforms – John Hedge

Click here to access on New Westlaw

ENFORCEMENT AND REMEDIES – Editor: Bill Keane

  • Agreed Penalties under Scrutiny – Bill Keane

Click here to access on New Westlaw

CASE NOTE – Editor: Christopher Hodgekiss SC

  • Australian Competition and Consumer Commission v Quantum Housing Group Pty Ltd: A Quantum Leap in our Understanding of Unconscionable Conduct? – Dr M Sharpe

Click here to access on New Westlaw

ECONOMIC(S) MATTERS

  • Competitive Solutions for COVID-19 – Alex Sundakov

Click here to access on New Westlaw

REPORT FROM AFRICA – Editor: Lesley Morphet

  • Competition Law and Public Interest – Imperatives in Africa, and South Africa in Particular – Lesley Morphet

Click here to access on New Westlaw

REPORT FROM BRITAIN – Editors: Lisa Navarro and Stephen Tupper

  • Recent Developments and Future Plans – Lisa Navarro and Stephen Tupper

Click here to access on New Westlaw

REPORT FROM EUROPE – Editor: Tom Pick

  • The Reform of the European Rules in the Area of Restrictive Agreements – Tom S Pick and Iseult Derème

Click here to access on New Westlaw

BOOK REVIEW

  • The Evolution of Competition Law in New Zealand, by R Ahdar

Click here to access on New Westlaw

For the PDF version of the table of contents, click here: Westlaw AU – AJCCL Vol 29 No 3 Contents or here:  New Westlaw AU - AJCCL Vol 29 No 3 Contents.

Click here to access this Part on Westlaw AU

Click here to access this Part on New Westlaw AU

For general queries, please contact: [email protected].