Clifford Chance

Australia - Mergers in the regulatory spotlight: focus on industry concentration levels, investments in critical infrastructure and on private equity roll ups, as debate on merger review reforms continues

18 October 2022

ACCC starts merger reform discussion

In August 2021, the previous Chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), Rod Sims proposed various reforms to Australia's antitrust merger control regime. The recent announcement of ANZ Bank's proposed acquisition of Suncorp Bank is set against a background of a renewed discussion on concentration in Australian industry, with a focus on common industry ownership and merger reform.

Now that the new Labor Government has moved on reform of the penalty regime and unfair contracts regime in the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (CCA), as it indicated it would, it is likely that merger law reform will be on the agenda in 2023.

Download PDF