ACCI - Competition

Competition

Competition is what drives our market-based commercial and economic system which best
serves to create wealth and enhance living standards for the benefit of all
Impediments to competition reduce the pace and benefits of economic development and
growth, at a cost to all.
Interventions which impede competition in pursuit of political or social objectives often
impose greater costs than benefits upon economies and often disadvantage those they
purport to help
Competition policy must work to optimise commercial and economic efficiency, acting as a
powerful stimulus to economic development and growth
Where governments seek to achieve some social equity or other re-distributional outcome on
the basis of ‘public interest’ or ‘public benefit’, these should be pursued through other policy
channels, such as taxation and/or public expenditure.

Prompt and effective implementation of the agreed national competition policy regime within
Australia at all tiers of government
Adoption under the auspices of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), of effective and transparent
competition policies which reinforce trade and investment liberalisation

Ensuring consistent application of competitive neutrality rules, including action to identify
and/or obviate inappropriate implementation
Monitoring the structural reform of government business enterprises, in particular the separation
of regulatory, monopoly and competitive functions
Encouraging access to essential facilities in ways which stimulates competition in otherwise
restricted markets
Promoting legislation/regulation review and reform which delivers a substantial reduction in the
burden thereof on commerce and industry
Monitoring pricing oversight and reform processes to ensure charges and the like by government
agencies and business enterprises are based on competition and efficiency criteria.