Competition and Consumer Point-in-Time Service Updates

The Competition and Consumer Point-in-Time Service has been updated to include the Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024 (Cth) (Act No 128 of 2024); the Treasury Laws Amendment (Fairer for Families and Farmers and Other Measures) Act 2024 (Cth) (Act No 136 of 2024); the Treasury Laws Amendment (Mergers and Acquisitions Reform) Act 2024 (Act No 137 of 2024); the Competition and Consumer (Industry Codes—Food and Grocery) Regulations 2024 (Cth); and the Competition and Consumer (Industry Codes—Food and Grocery) (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2024 (Cth). 

Act 128 of 2024

The Act enacts a first tranche of reforms to the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (the Privacy Act) to implement a number of the legislative proposals that were agreed by the Government in its September 2023 Response to the Privacy Act Review.

The rapidly evolving digital landscape presents opportunities for innovation, advances in productivity and efficiency, and a range of other benefits for all Australians. However, the Privacy Act has not kept pace with Australians’ widespread adoption and reliance on digital technologies, which increases the risks that personal data will be subject to misuse or mishandling, including through data breaches, fraud and identity theft, unauthorised surveillance and other significant online harms.

Act 136 of 2024

This Act makes various and substantive amendments relating to the cessation of the Modernising Business Registers (MBR) Program, information and safety standards, Housing Australia, industry codes, taxation, corporations, financial services and foreign acquisitions and takeovers, and for other purpose.

Act 137 of 2024

This Act includes a package of reforms to modernise Australia’s merger review framework. The Act amends the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) (CCA) to overhaul the existing framework for merger review and replace it with a single mandatory and suspensory administrative system for acquisitions that will be faster, stronger, simpler, targeted and more transparent.

Competition and Consumer (Industry Codes—Food and Grocery) Regulations 2024 

The Regulations replace the Competition and Consumer (Industry Codes—Food and Grocery) Regulation 2015 (Cth) and introduce a mandatory industry code to address an imbalance in bargaining power between large grocery retailers or wholesalers and their suppliers, to support a competitive and sustainable food and grocery sector.

Competition and Consumer (Industry Codes—Food and Grocery) (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2024 

These Regulations repeal the Competition and Consumer (Industry Codes—Food and Grocery) Regulation 2015 (Cth) and make other amendments that increase the amount of civil penalties in relevant provisions in the Competition and Consumer (Industry Codes—Food and Grocery) Regulations 2024 (Cth) to reflect the strengthened penalty framework provided by Schedule 4 to the Treasury Laws Amendment (Fairer for Families and Farmers and Other Measures) Act 2024 (Cth).

These amendments have been updated in the Point-in-Time Competition and Consumer Service current to 13 February 2025. (NB: Subscription required).

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