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Timeline

The Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (CCA) consolidated and renamed the Trade Practices Act 1965, embedding the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) in Schedule 2 while strengthening competition rules. It commenced 1 January 2011, enforced by the ACCC and enforced by the Federal Court.

Major Amendments

Amendments have modernized merger reviews, penalties, consumer protections, and sector-specific regimes.

Year Key Act Main Changes
2017 Competition and Consumer Amendment (Competition Policy Review) Act 2017; Misuse of Market Power Act 2017 Harper reforms: effects test for s46 misuse of power; class exemptions; repeal merger clearance regime.
2018 Treasury Laws Amendment (2018 Measures No.3) Act 2018 Increased ACL penalties to match competition levels.​
2019 Treasury Laws Amendment (Consumer Data Right) Act 2019 Inserts Part IVD: CDR for data portability.​
2021 Treasury Laws Amendment (News Media Bargaining Code) Act 2021 Mandatory bargaining code for digital platforms/news.​
2022 Treasury Laws Amendment (More Competition, Better Prices) Act 2022 Bans unfair UCTs with civil penalties; higher penalties for anti-competitive conduct.​
2025 Compilation to 1 Apr 2025 Incorporates all prior; merger notification from 1 Jan 2026.

Progression Timeline

  • 2010: Renamed from Trade Practices Act; ACL uniform national consumer law (replaces state laws).

  • 2011–2016: Infrastructure access tweaks; payment surcharges ban (2016).​

  • 2017: Harper reforms enhance anti-competitive enforcement (effects test, notifications).

  • 2018–2020: Penalty hikes; IP exemption removal; country-of-origin claims.​

  • 2021–2022: CDR rollout; media code; UCT prohibition for small business.​

  • 2023–2026: Ongoing merger reforms (voluntary notifications 2026); no major post-2022 amendments by Feb 2026.​

Key Parts

  • Part IV: Cartels, misuse of power, exclusive dealing, RPM, mergers (voluntary notifications from 2026).

  • Schedule 2 (ACL): Guarantees, misleading conduct, UCTs, penalties up to greater of $50M/30% turnover.​

  • Part IVB: Industry codes (franchising, oil, etc.).​

Related Legislation

  • Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001 (ASIC Act): Financial products/services overlap with ACL.

  • Commerce Commission Act 1986 (NZ): Trans-Tasman alignment.

  • National Gas Law/Electricity Law: Sector access via CCA Part IIIA.​

The CCA evolves via Treasury-led reviews, prioritizing digital markets and consumer harm prevention.

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