Guidelines
Guidelines on merger authorisation
24 October 2018
Overview/background
On 31 October 2017 the ACCC released Guidelines on merger authorisations for consultation. These were replaced with new Merger Authorisation Guidelines published on 24 October 2018.
The Guidelines follow the reforms to the merger provisions that came into operation on 6 November 2017 following recommendations in the Harper Report. As part of those reforms the power to grant authorisation reverted to the ACCC (previously it was with the Tribunal).
The Guidelines address the authorisation process only - for the ACCC's approach to the substantive competition test for mergers under the Competition and Consumer Act see the 2008 Merger Guidelines.