OLIGOPOLIES – AUSTRALIA

Oligopolies aren’t that bad: Grattan

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Original article by Jacob Greber
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 8 : 4-Dec-17

Research conducted by the Grattan Institute suggests that concerns that Australia’s economy has too many oligopolies are over-stated. Jim Minifie of the Grattan Institute says it found that Australian companies which dominate their markets only account for around 15 per cent of the economy, and that Australia is not really any different to other comparable economies when it comes to the number of oligopolies. He notes that the supermarket sector has become less concentrated since the global financial crisis, although the banking sector has become more so.

CORPORATES
GRATTAN INSTITUTE, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, ALDI STORES SUPERMARKETS PTY LTD, COSTCO WHOLESALE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, HIH INSURANCE LIMITED

ACCC wants to curb oligopoly power

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Original article by Misa Han
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 7 : 11-Jan-16

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims has urged the Federal Government to strengthen laws aimed at companies that abuse their market power. He advocates scrapping rules which require the competition regulator to prove that a company took advantage of its market power. He notes that large companies can use this defence by arguing that small business could do the same thing, even if they are not in a position to do so.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, TYRO PAYMENTS, CLIFFORD CHANCE, APPLE INCORPORATED, BLACKBERRY LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, UBER TECHNOLOGIES INCORPORATED, AIRBNB INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED

‘Heretic’ flags break-up of Australia’s big four banks

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Original article by Clancy Yeates
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 17 : 19-Sep-14

Investment banker Alastair Walton has warned that Australia’s four major banks will be vulnerable in the event of another financial crisis. He says that rather than imposing stricter capital requirements, it may be better to look at forcing the "AA-"-rated banks to demerge and be broken up into 8-10 smaller banks with "A" credit ratings. The BKK Partners chairman notes that the four major banks rate among the 20 biggest in the world

CORPORATES
BKK PARTNERS PTY LTD, GOLDMAN SACHS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT, AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, AUSTRALIA. COUNCIL OF FINANCIAL REGULATORS, RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, AUSTRALIAN SECURITIES AND INVESTMENTS COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY, AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION, AUSTRALIAN BANKERS’ ASSOCIATION