News Articles for Rod Sims

Western Australia's peak business lobby has called for a quick end to debate over imposing higher taxes on mining sector profits after a lift in the petroleum sector's profit tax.

Recent federal government reports highlight the cost of industrial activity at our ports.

Minerals Council of Australia chief executive Tania Constable has pushed back against calls by former Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chair Rod Sims for higher taxes on mining profits.

Australia's competition regulatory body is suing the owner of social media giant Facebook over “celebrity-endorsed” scam ads, following a similar legal action by billionaire Andrew ‘Twiggy' Forrest.

Two members of the federal coalition's junior partner have called for a cut in the fuel excise as petrol prices continue to climb above $2 a litre.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison won't freeze fuel excise, even as global oil prices near $US100 per barrel with Russia and Ukraine on the brink of all-out war.

Annual wages grew 2.3 per cent as of the December quarter, the highest since mid-2019, but still lagged well behind the rate of inflation at 3.5 per cent.

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese has challenged the prime minister to make rapid antigen tests free, backing calls for them to be available for all Australians.

Australia's competition regulator has granted interim authorisation allowing manufacturers to work together to address looming shortages of AdBlue.

The ACCC will not oppose Woodside's plan to acquire BHP petroleum assets, clearing the way for two of WA's largest natural gas suppliers to merge.

The federal government will appoint Gina Cass-Gottlieb as the ACCC's first female head, replacing outgoing chairman Rod Sims.

Online retailer Booktopia is being taken to court after refusing to offer refunds to consumers who received faulty or incorrect items.

The consumer watchdog is seeking feedback on Veolia's divestiture offer before ruling on whether the French waste management company can acquire fellow-French competitor Suez.

Australia's competition watchdog will not oppose Bunnings' acquisition of specialist tile retailer Beaumont Tiles.

Australia's competition watchdog says it needs new powers to curb Google's dominance in advertising technology that sells ads for sites such as YouTube.

A Qantas plan to resume flights between Australia and Japan has been grounded after the competition watchdog said it would reduce competition.

Three payments providers will be allowed to merge despite concerns charges for electronic transactions could later rise.

Australia's three biggest internet providers are being taken to court over NBN promotions that the ACCC claims misled hundreds of thousands of customers.

Households could save almost $200 a year by shopping around for electricity, the consumer watchdog says.

Woolworths' takeover of distributor PFD Food Services will go ahead despite concerns the move will eventually lead to fewer workers in the industry.

A $50 million penalty imposed on Telstra for fleecing vulnerable Indigenous consumers is a warning for corporate Australia, the head of the consumer watchdog says.

Australia's competition watchdog is opposing a Qantas plan to resume flights between Australia and Japan.

Seven West has finalised a five-year content-sharing deal with Google and signed another three-year deal with Facebook.

A national report has highlighted the sharp fall in profits by the country's big airports with worse to come this year as passenger numbers struggle to recover.

Australians looking for cheap flights are already benefitting from Rex's entry into the domestic market, after Jetstar and Virgin cut prices in response.

Australia's world-first news media bargaining code will soon be in force after legislation cleared federal parliament.

The federal government's attempt to invest taxpayer money in new gas projects faces stiff opposition in parliament.

Australia's media code will be tweaked to make it clear tech giants are expected to pay news organisations a lump sump rather than for every time an internet user clicks on a link.

Google's power over the multi-billion-dollar online world of advertising is front and centre of a new consumer watchdog report.

Australia's competition regulator has rejected an undertaking by Alphabet Inc-owned Google that sought to address competition concerns over its planned $US2.1 billion ($A2.8 billion) acquisition of

Australian retailer Kogan.com has been found guilty of misleading consumers by falsely claiming to offer a discount on some items, as part of a four-day promotion.

Telstra Corporation will appear before the federal court after admitting to ‘unconscionable conduct' when selling post-paid mobile contracts to Indigenous consumers.

Peters Ice Cream has been accused of stopping other distributors from selling single-wrapped ice creams at petrol stations and convenience stores.

Australia's top competition body will closely scrutinise the domestic flight market as restrictions have led the nation's major airlines to consider strategic overhauls.

Facebook is threatening to stop Australian users from sharing news if the social media giant is forced to compensate media companies for publishing their stories.

Perth-based HealthEngine has been ordered to pay $2.9 million in penalties by the Federal Court. It comes after the tech company achieved rapid growth but incurred big financial losses.

The owners of the giant Waitsia gas field intend to export half the gas rather than reserve it for the domestic market after securing state government approval for their plans.

The Federal Court has ordered private health insurer Medibank to pay $5 million in penalties for making false representations to customers.

The consumer watchdog has criticised Qantas for failing to tell customers they were entitled to refunds for flights cancelled due to coronavirus.

Australia's competition regulator says it will not oppose a planned merger between mortgage aggregators Australian Finance Group and Connective, despite holding previous concerns around competition.