Region: Australia

The acquisition of Australia’s largest cybersecurity company by French defence giant Thales “poses serious national security concerns” and should be blocked by the country’s Foreign Investment Review Board, an Australian senator has said.

26 June 2023

A 10-year infrastructure sharing agreement between Telstra and TPG Telecom would harm competition by weakening a rival mobile network operator and leading to higher prices, the Australian Competition Tribunal has ruled

21 June 2023

Australia’s antitrust watchdog has approved a merger between the country’s two largest cash-in-transit providers, subject to a suite of behavioural remedies after considering the public benefits of the transaction.

13 June 2023

A large private equity company with ties to China has reportedly offered concessions to secure Australian foreign investment approval for its acquisition of a majority stake in a domestic medical researcher, including retaining existing directors and keeping data onshore.

12 June 2023

One of Australia’s biggest banks has argued that its proposed acquisition of smaller rival Suncorp will not harm competition, claiming that the target “is not a material competitive constraint”.

07 June 2023

An Australian class action claim has accused the country’s largest electricity generator of abusing its dominance in the regulated wholesale electricity market.

06 June 2023

The head of Clifford Chance’s Australian antitrust team has left to launch a new firm that will focus on digital markets and artificial intelligence, while his former employer has hired a partner from Clayton Utz to head its competition practice.

06 June 2023

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has recommended opening up peak-time landing slots at Sydney Airport to address the lack of competitive pressure on Qantas and Virgin Australia that has resulted in higher ticket prices.

05 June 2023

Australia’s antitrust authority has opposed Woolworths’ acquisition of an independent supermarket outside Canberra for the second time in 15 years, after flagging concerns about local competition and potential harm to suppliers.

26 May 2023

Counsel to a company that has admitted to criminally fixing the price of waste processing services in Sydney has claimed a large fine would imperil its survival and harm competition in the market.

23 May 2023