What a year it's been...

In the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Year in Review publication, we take a look at the ACCC’s leading cases and activities in 2020 and consider how well the ACCC performed against its 2020 enforcement and other ongoing priorities.

This past year was extraordinary for all of us and the ACCC was equally impacted. The speed with which the ACCC pivoted to address the impact of COVID-19 on consumers and businesses was truly commendable. In this review, you will find a COVID-19 section, discussing the various ways the ACCC was required to address the impact of COVID-19 on the economy – examining its response to specific COVID-19 related consumer issues (most notably in the travel and hospitality industries). We will also review the range of authorisations it granted to permit cooperation between competitors to facilitate appropriate responses to the health and economic emergency.

We have retained our expanded focus from last year and will again examine the ACCC’s regulatory, administrative and policy activities beyond pure litigation, looking at the areas of:

• energy
• healthcare
• retail and franchising
• technology, digital platforms and telecommunications.

We also cover in detail enforcement activity and developments in the following areas:

• cartels
• misuse of market power
• consumer protection (including scams)
• unfair contract terms
• product safety.

In this edition you'll find a separate section on ‘Scams’ given their increasing impact on businesses, as well as everyday Australians.

We have also produced a short season of podcasts featuring our senior lawyers discussing the impact of ACCC's work on certain sectors of the Australian economy. Links to these podcasts are further down this page.