THE INTRODUCTION OF COMPETITION POLICY IN AUSTRALIA: THE ROLE OF RON BANNERMAN

David Merrett, Stepehn Corones and David Round

Australian Economic History Review, 2007, vol. 47, issue 2, pages 178-199

Abstract: The 1965 legislation to curb restrictive trade practices has been widely regarded as weak. By contrast, the Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth) has been considered as providing the platform for a more comprehensive competition policy. This paper argues that the 1965-67 and 1971 Acts were more effective than has been commonly recognised in raising awareness about the extent of restrictive trade practices, discrediting price agreements and laying the foundations for the 1974 Act. The role of Ron Bannerman, the sole Commissioner of Trade Practices, was critical to their success. This paper uses parliamentary debates, Bannerman's published works and an interview with him undertaken in early 2005. Copyright 2007 The Authors; Journal compilation Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd and the Economic History Society of Australia and New Zealand 2007.

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.blackwell ... &year=2007&part=null link to full text (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.blackwell ... bs.asp?ref=0004-8992

Access Statistics for this article

Australian Economic History Review is edited by Stephen L Morgan and Martin Shanahan

More articles in Australian Economic History Review from Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd and the Economic History Society of Australia and New Zealand
Contact information at EDIRC.
Series data maintained by Christopher F. Baum ().