Competition Three Ways - Farmers, Consumers, and the Law

Competition Three Ways - Farmers, Consumers, and the Law

This seminar will bring together a panel of experts to discuss how competition affects the Australian economy, reflecting on the recent issues raised by the ongoing ACCC Supermarket Inquiry, and other inquiries instigated by the Commonwealth and various State Governments. Each of the speakers will provide a diverse perspective of how concentration in various markets, including supermarkets, affects and distorts the economy to produce market failures. In particular, Samuel Miller will address issues arising in the Agriculture sector, and the role that risk and uncertainty plays. Jason Ockerby will provide an analysis of issues from the consumer perspective, including how geographic density affects how we define monopolistic power. And finally, Andy Schmulow will provide an analysis of current and proposed competition laws, such as codes of conduct and divestiture, and outline the issues associated with designing an effective regulatory system and whether or not current laws are up to the task. The panel will then open to Q/A from the audience for discussion.

This event is a hybrid event and can be attended in-person or virtually.

About the Speakers

Andy Schmulow has been admitted to the degrees BA Honours LLB (Witwatersrand), GDLP (cum laude) (ANU), and PhD (Melbourne). He is an Advocate of the High Court of South Africa, and admitted by the Supreme Court of Victoria as an Australian Legal Practitioner. In 2014 he founded Clarity Prudential Regulatory Consulting, Pty Ltd. He holds visiting appointments at universities in South Africa and South Korea, invited to give key-note addresses at conferences the world over, including to the South African Reserve Bank, South African National Treasury, European Central Bank, EU Single Resolution Authority, the Portuguese Ministry of Finance, and the World Bank. His research has been cited by central banks such as the Bank of China and the Bank of Portugal. He has been an invited guest lecturer in the Program on International Financial Systems in the Harvard Law School, where he was designated as an internationally acknowledged expert in financial regulatory architecture. He provides ad hoc advice to Members of Australia's Federal Parliament; the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC); and has been invited to make submissions to various Federal Parliamentary Inquiries and to the 2018/2019 Australian Banking Royal Commission (FSRC).

Jason Ockerby is a founder and Managing Director of CEG Asia-Pacific and leads the Sydney Office. Jason has over 25 years’ experience as a professional economist in competition and regulatory matters and has specialised in the areas of communications, broadcasting, mining, energy, and transport. He has been involved in matters before the Federal Court of Australia, the Australian Competition Tribunal and in hearings held by regulatory and competition authorities. Jason has been retained as an economist on numerous mergers and acquisitions, competition matters and copyright valuation case and has advised clients across a wide range of industries including electricity and gas production and transmission, building products, mining, aviation, communications, broadcasting, forest products, payment networks, retailing, e-commerce, rail access and port services. In terms of geographical coverage, Jason’s clients have included businesses and government agencies in Australia, Europe, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore. Jason holds a Master of Economics from the University of Sydney and a Bachelor of Economics (Honours) from the University of Queensland.

Samuel Miller is the Principal Economist for the NSW Farmers Association, current President of the NSW Branch of the Australasian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, and serves on the Council for the NSW Branch of the Economics Society of Australia. He is also the developer of RUBICS, an open-source software designed to enable complex Monte-Carlo Cost-Benefit Analysis in a transparent and reproducible manner. He holds a Masters of Economics from the University of New England. Sam has worked extensively on issues facing regional economies, particularly in NSW, including supply chains, competition, water access, tourism, workforce and education, infrastructure, and natural disasters. His work has informed Government policy, including the Safe and Secure Water Program, and the $1.7 billion Regional Growth Fund. Most recently, Sam has provided expert analysis and advice on the impact of market concentration throughout the agricultural supply chain, and provided input into the design of regulations to address market failures. 

Details and Registration