Cartel conduct in the spotlight

COMPETITION regulator Rod Sims has revealed he has more than 10 cartel cases under current investigation across an array of industries.

Some cases are coming from whistleblowers seeking immunity from criminal prosecution, and two or three cases are expected to be before the courts by the end of the year.

Speaking after his appearance before a House of Representatives standing committee, Mr Sims said the amount of cartel cases the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission was confidentially assessing was “enormous” and the most he had seen at one time before the regulator.

Mr Sims declined to name the companies or industries involved, but said they were businesses that touched many Australians’ lives.

“We are doing in-depth investigations of cartel conduct and I think we will get many of them to court, he said. “There are a lot of cases. I can think of 10 off the top of my head that are quite advanced. And that is separate from ones that are just starting.”