Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Finance and Deregulation) Share this | Hansard source

I am advised that Minister Carr in his then portfolio wrote to the Assistant Treasurer noting some of the concerns to which Senator Xenophon has alluded, and concerns which had been raised by manufacturers. Those concerns were passed on to the ACCC by the Assistant Treasurer. As the Senator is no doubt aware, the ACCC is an independent statutory authority and makes its own decisions regarding investigation and enforcement. It is the government's view that the ACCC should continue to have the powers it needs to effectively pursue anticompetitive conduct wherever it may be occurring.

We welcome the recent focus placed on the major supermarket chains by the ACCC. The commission has also stated that during 2012 it will be giving priority to competition and consumer issues in highly concentrated sectors, particularly the supermarket sector. The ACCC is closely examining major supermarket chains to ensure that any negotiations of supply arrangements are not unconscionable and do not involve a misuse of market power.