This Month
Australia’s top deal blocker strikes again, target’s shares drop 25pc
In case a market correction and nervous directors are not enough to stall M&A activity, the competition regulator is back in action.
Goalposts shifting as Chalmers’ new merger control regime looms
For dealmakers, every decision now feels like a roll of the dice, uncertain and unpredictable, carrying the risk of landing back where they started.
Big tech slams ‘sweetheart deal’ for YouTube in social ban
The tech giants say carving out YouTube from a ban on social media for people under 16 would be like banning soft drinks for children but allowing Coca-Cola.
February
Cass-Gottlieb fires warning shot at big telco, energy players
The competition watchdog will keep a sharp eye on the retail sector, but also other essential services such as telecommunications and energy.
Cass-Gottlieb still gets Qantas VIP treatment
Qantas’ perks system is as hard to quit as the mob, it seems.
January
Senior ACCC officials resign en masse from Qantas’ Chairman’s Lounge
The secretive, invite-only club is reserved for top businesspeople and government officials and it gives the airline enormous influence to support its ambitions.
December 2024
Supermarket giants use the $5 Oreo to argue their discounts are real
The ACCC has accused Woolworths and Coles of misleading shoppers. The retailers say the regulator doesn’t understand how pricing works.
November 2024
What is Trump’s favourite soft drink? Test yourself in our quiz
Have you been paying attention this week? Test your knowledge across politics, business and world news.
Swan apologises for Cbus; Chalmers’ RBA odds; Praise for stock pickers
Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.
Three sliding-doors moments defined ACCC boss Gina Cass-Gottlieb’s life
When Gina Cass-Gottlieb was hired, some said she was too close to big business. She’s instead proven to be a godsend for the federal government.
Legal threats and ACCC ‘assessment’ rock PEXA-Sympli stoush
The Commonwealth Bank-backed property settlement exchange warns it could sue the regulator if forced to share information that would end its dominance.
Bankers split as Chalmers kicks off branch levy negotiations
Treasurer Jim Chalmers has kick-started face-to-face negotiations with bank CEOs about a potential new $350 million levy, but bankers are split over the proposal.
Woolworths suppliers put on ‘holiday’ for price pushback, ACCC hears
The competition regulator’s public hearings have been told some producers did not receive any orders from the supermarket if they refused to drop prices.
The moment the ACCC boss put the heat on Woolies
The competition regulator is clearly sceptical about the way the supermarket giants use discounts, and whether the market is really competitive.
Inside the two weeks from hell for the country’s biggest supermarkets
This week, Woolworths chief executive Amanda Bardwell and Coles’ Leah Weckert will have a chance to tell their side of the story in hearings run by the ACCC.
M&A deals to spike ahead of merger reforms, says Corrs
The new regime is likely to capture more deals and involve longer reviews, the law firm has warned.
Merger shake-up gets Coalition’s blessing
The opposition will support the federal government’s biggest overhaul of the laws in 50 years, after lobbying from the ACCC’s Gina Cass-Gottlieb.
‘Critical milestone’: Chemist Warehouse, Sigma merger clears ACCC hurdle
After several delays, the regulator found the tie-up will not substantially hurt competition, paving the way for the creation of a $28.9 billion sharemarket giant.
$30b Chemist Warehouse deal seals founders’ legacy. Now for the hard bit
Jack Gance and Mario Verrocchi have built one of Australia’s great retail brands. Bringing it into a listed environment is a fresh challenge.
ACCC boss implores Coalition, Greens to back merger laws
Gina Cass-Gottlieb calls it the “most critical law change they are going to have to make a decision on in the life of this parliament”.