The ACCC’s 2017 priorities will be misleading and deceptive practices, anti-competitive conduct and unfair contract terms affecting small businesses.
Continuing priorities include cartel conduct causing detriment in Australia, anti-competitive agreements and practices, and the misuse of market power.
The ACCC will also prioritise product safety issues which have the potential to cause serious harm to consumers and challenges affecting Indigenous consumers living in remote areas.
In addition to those matters, the ACCC is currently prioritising its work in the following sectors:
- competition and consumer issues in the agriculture sector;competition issues in the commercial construction sector;
- consumer issues in private health insurance;
- consumer issues in new car retailing, including responses by retailers and manufacturers to consumer guarantee claims;
- issues arising from the ACCC’s monitoring of broadband speed and performance claims;
- consumer guarantees, including in relation to services such as those provided by the airline industry;
- providing education to business and consumers in relation to new country of origin labelling laws
•ensuring compliance by business with new excessive payment surcharge laws; - consumer issues arising from commission based sales business models;
- working with internet platform providers to prevent the supply of unsafe products into Australia.
For small business the ACCC will enforce industry codes of conduct, including the Franchising Code, the Food and Grocery Code and the Horticulture Code, and the unfair contract terms law.
While the ACCC will focus its current activities in these priority areas, it will continue to monitor compliance in areas previously identified as priorities and take action where necessary.
