Amendments to the Trade Practices Act - will they or won't they occur?

Date: 1 September 2008
Author: Kathryn Edghill, Partner and Graham Maher, Partner
After much talk, a Bill to amend the Trade Practices Act has been tabled by the Federal Government. The Bill seeks to amend the Act by, among other things, effectively repealing the so called "Birdsville amendments" which introduced a prohibition on predatory pricing by companies with a substantial market share, removing the monetary limit on transactions to which the prohibition on unconscionable conduct applies, and increasing the powers of the ACCC under section 155 to investigate suspected breaches of the Act after commencement of proceedings for injunctions. Addisons' competition partner, Graham Maher, addressed a Senate Economics Committee on the proposed amendments in August. The amendments now seem to have stalled with a number of minority party senators indicating they will oppose the Bill.

Addisons' Partners and Practice Group Ranked Highly in Chambers Global 2008

Date: 22 January 2008
Author: Kathryn Edghill, Partner
Addisons' partners, Kathryn Edghill, Karen Hayne, Jamie Nettleton and Phil Stern, together with our Competition, Trade Practices and Regulatory group led by Kathryn Edghill and Graham Maher, have all been highly ranked in the recent Chambers Global 2008 publication. Chambers Global is an internationally recognised publication which ranks lawyers, law firms and practice groups, based on legal ability, professional conduct, client service, commercial awareness, diligence, and commitment to the client. It is prepared using extensive market research and client interviews.