Committee activities (inquiries and reports)

Finding a Balance: Towards Fair Trading in Australia

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Covering documents (PDF format)

This includes the terms of reference of the inquiry, the membership of the Committee, the foreword to the report by the Committee Chair, the Hon Bruce Reid, MP, the table of contents of the report, and a list of abbreviations used in the report.  

All the recommendations made in the report with cross references to the paragraph numbers where the recommendations are located in the body of the report. The first part of the paragraph number indicates the chapter number.

Chapter 1: Introduction (PDF format)

Business conduct issues
Small business in Australia
Social and economic implications
Options and strategies to address business conduct issues
 

Chapter 2: Retail tenancy (PDF format)

Introduction
Specific business conduct issues
Future retail property development
Conclusions on retail tenancy
 

Chapter 3: Franchising (PDF format)

Introduction
Franchising in general
Motor vehicle dealerships
Petroleum distribution
Regulation of franchising
 

Chapter 4: Misuse of market power (PDF format)

Abuse of power by customers, suppliers and competitors
Price discrimination
Predatory pricing
Exercise of market power
Legislative protection against the misuse of market power
 

Chapter 5: Small business finance (PDF format)

Introduction
Major categories of disputes with banks
Existing legislative protection
 

Chapter 6: Legislative protection against unfair conduct (PDF format)

Common features of unfair conduct
The concept of 'unconscionable conduct'
Existing unconscionability provisions of the Trade Practices Act
Concerns which have inhibited earlier action
Relevant Australian experience
Relevant overseas experience
Options
 

Chapter 7: Access to justice and education (PDF format)

Introduction
Alternative dispute resolution
Education
 

Minority report (PDF format)

Minority report presented by Mr A Morris, MP

 
Appendices (PDF format)

This includes information about the conduct of the inquiry, the submissions and exhibits received by the Committee, the names of witnesses who appeared at public hearings, previous reports dealing with unfair business conduct, State retail tenancy legislation in Australia, and the unconscionable conduct provisions of the Trade Practices Act 1974

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