Clash over Australia’s new merger laws focuses on future role of Federal Court

MLex Market Insight

Australian merger laws are facing a revamp, amid concerns that the voluntary-notification system was being gamed by global dealmakers. But while there’s broad agreement that the voluntary component of the existing regime needs to be scrapped, there are divisions about which model Australia should embrace. The antitrust regulator is campaigning for a formal but speedy model; lawyers are campaigning for a US-style model that would give their clients ready access to the Federal Court of Australia. MLex has covered all the twists and turns of the debate and spoken to key players in the process, including Chief Adviser to the Competition Taskforce Marcus Bezzi and Australian Competition & Consumer Commission Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb.