The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has unveiled (20 February) its compliance and enforcement priorities for the 2025-26 financial year, with a strong focus on retail pricing, competition in essential services, and the implementation of merger reforms.
Speaking at the Committee for Economic Development of Australia event in Sydney, ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb emphasized the agency’s commitment to fostering competitive markets and protecting consumers. She highlighted the role of the ACCC in ensuring clear and accurate pricing, particularly in the face of ongoing cost-of-living pressures.
Focus on Consumer Protection and Retail Pricing
Ms Cass-Gottlieb acknowledged the financial strain many Australians are experiencing due to rising costs of groceries and essential services. In response, the ACCC will launch investigations targeting misleading pricing practices, including excessive surcharging. Businesses will be scrutinized to ensure compliance with regulations aimed at preventing unfair pricing tactics that contribute to inflated costs for consumers.
The ACCC will also address concerns about market power and its impact on competition, particularly in the supermarket and retail sectors. The agency will focus on firms engaging in conduct that disadvantages small businesses or leads to higher prices for consumers.
Competition in Essential Services and Market Concentration
The ACCC will prioritize competition in key industries such as telecommunications, electricity, and gas, recognizing that anti-competitive behavior in these sectors affects pricing, choice, and service quality. Market concentration remains a concern beyond retail and supermarkets, with ongoing scrutiny of aviation and digital platforms.
Unfair contract terms imposed by larger businesses on small enterprises and consumers will also be targeted. Ms Cass-Gottlieb reiterated the agency’s commitment to ensuring a fair balance of power in business transactions.
Merger Reform Implementation
With new merger legislation coming into effect, the ACCC will begin voluntary merger notifications from 1 July 2025, ahead of the full implementation on 1 January 2026. The agency aims to guide businesses through the transition while taking enforcement action where necessary to prevent anti-competitive consolidations.
“Successfully and efficiently implementing the reform to the merger regime, promoting compliance with the new regime, and taking enforcement action where necessary will be a significant focus for us in the coming year,” Ms Cass-Gottlieb stated.
Digital Economy and Sustainability Initiatives
The ACCC will continue its focus on consumer protections within the digital economy, targeting misleading influencer marketing, deceptive online reviews, in-app purchases, and unsafe consumer products. Ensuring transparency in online sales, including eliminating subscription traps and enforcing fair sales practices, will remain key enforcement areas.
Additionally, the agency will intensify efforts against greenwashing, ensuring that businesses make accurate environmental claims and do not mislead consumers about the sustainability of their products.
Strengthening Consumer Trust and Market Integrity
Ms Cass-Gottlieb reaffirmed the ACCC’s commitment to using its full range of enforcement powers under Australian competition and consumer law to protect consumers and businesses. “We will continue to use our full range of tools and powers available under Australia’s Competition and Consumer Act and the Australian Consumer Law, and to exercise our enforcement powers independently, in the public interest, and with integrity and professionalism,” she said.
For more information, including a full list of the ACCC’s 2025-26 enforcement priorities, visit the agency’s official website.
