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☆ Australia’s Qantas to pay $79 million to settle ‘ghost flights’ case
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Sydney — Qantas Airways has agreed to pay 120 million Australian dollars ($79 million) to settle a lawsuit over the sale of thousands of tickets on already canceled flights, in an attempt to end a reputational crisis that has engulfed the airline. The fine is the biggest ever for an Australian airline and among the largest globally in the sector, although some Australian banks and casino operators have faced higher penalties. “We recognize Qantas let down customers and fell short of our own standards,” CEO Vanessa Hudson said in a statement. It had said the airline sometimes sold tickets to flights weeks after they were canceled. The ACCC’s Cass-Gottlieb noted that the settlement included a promise from Qantas not to repeat the conduct.

Persons: Vanessa Hudson, ”, Hudson’s, Alan Joyce, Hudson, Gina Cass, Gottlieb, ACCC’s Cass Organizations: Sydney, Qantas Airways, Qantas, Australian Competition, Consumer Commission, Federal Court, ACCC Locations: Hudson

☆ Australian regulator calls for new competition laws for digital platforms
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 27 (Reuters) - Australia's competition watchdog said on Monday new competition laws were required in response to the rapid expansion of digital platforms such as Amazon (AMZN.O), Apple (AAPL.O), Google (GOOGL.O), Meta (META.O) and Microsoft (MSFT.O) in the country. "Our proposed reforms include a call for targeted consumer protections and service-specific codes to prevent anti-competitive conduct by particular designated digital platforms," ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said. The aforementioned five digital platforms did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for a comment. The regulator has also proposed new mandatory obligations on all digital platforms to address scams, harmful apps, fake reviews, including notice and action requirements and stronger verification of business users and reviews. Must ensure competition laws are fit-for-purpose to respond to the potential challenges posed by emerging technologies such as generative AI and virtual reality, ACCC said.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Gina Cass, Gottlieb, Ayushman Ojha, Sherry Jacob, Phillips, Tom Hogue Organizations: Facebook, REUTERS, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Australian Competition, Consumer Commission, Digital, ACCC, Reuters, Thomson

☆ Origin Energy shares surge after regulator clears Brookfield's $9.8 bln bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Scott Murdoch | トムソンロイター | Scott Murdoch Has Been A Journalist For More Than Two Decades Working For Thomson Reuters | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Australian Super, the largest investor, raised its stake to 14% last month and called the shares undervalued. Perpetual, a major Australian fund manager and Origin shareholder, has pushed Brookfield and its partner, U.S. private equity firm EIG, to consider raising their offer to win Origin, according to local media reports. Origin shares jumped to A$9.19 in early trading, well above the A$8.91 per share price of the consortium bid lodged in March, on speculation a higher offer could be forthcoming. Under the consortium deal, Origin will be broken up into two businesses, with its energy markets arm including its electricity generation and electricity and gas retail businesses to be acquired by Brookfield. Brookfield would also be prohibited from selling more than 10% of either Origin or AusNet in the future to one party.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Max Vickerson, I'm, Vickerson, Newmont, Gina Cass, Gottlieb, Brookfield, Scott Murdoch, Jamie Freed 私 Organizations: Brookfield, REUTERS, SYDNEY, Origin Energy, Brookfield Corp, Australian Competition, Consumer Commission, stockbroker Morgans, Perpetual, Newcrest Mining, Energy, ACCC, AusNet Services Locations: Australian, Brookfield, Australia, Victoria

SYDNEY, Sept 29 (Reuters) - The blocking of three major deals by Australia's antitrust regulator in the past year was a coincidence, its chair told Reuters, pushing back against concerns among bankers that it has become deal-averse. "There happens to have been a sequence, frankly coincidentally as it turns out, of oppositions," ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said in an interview. There are some concerns that it could be blocked as Brookfield owns AusNet, a poles and wires asset in Victoria state. Cass-Gottlieb also said she doubted foreign investors have been dissuaded from pursuing deals in Australia which does not require companies to get formal clearance before proceeding with a takeover. "The recent stream of merger blockages will make foreign investors think twice."

Persons: Gina Cass, Gottlieb, Canada's Brookfield, Cass, Stephen Corones, Hannah Marshall, it's, Byron Kaye, Scott Murdoch, Edwina Gibbs Organizations: Australian Competition, Consumer Commission, Telstra, TPG, ANZ, Transurban, Origin Energy, Brookfield, FOCUS Cass, Investors, Queensland University of Technology, Cass, Marque Lawyers, Thomson Locations: Melbourne, AusNet, Victoria, Australia, Queensland

☆ Qantas CEO’s exit will barely reduce turbulence
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-05 | by ( Antony Currie | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Alan Joyce, Chief Executive Officer of Qantas, speaks in front of a Qantas 747 jumbo jet, before its last departure from the Sydney Airport in Sydney, Australia, as Qantas retires its remaining Boeing 747 planes early due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, July 22, 2020. In July Canberra rejected Qatar Airways’ request to add 21 flights a week to key Australian cities. Gina Cass-Gottlieb, the watchdog’s chair, is targeting a fine of at least A$250 million ($162 million), she told ABC’s RN radio programme. Qantas customers can now get a cash refund, while credits issued by the group’s budget airline, Jetstar, now last indefinitely. On Aug. 24 Qantas reported record pre-tax earnings for the year to June 30 of A$2.47 billion.

Persons: Alan Joyce, Loren Elliott, Vanessa Hudson, Gina Cass, Gottlieb, Hudson, Richard Goyder, Buckle, Joyce, “, ABC’s, Una Galani, Katrina Hamlin Organizations: Qantas, Sydney Airport, Boeing, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Australian Competition, Consumer Commission, Virgin Australia, Regional Express, Qatar Airways, Jetstar, Thomson Locations: Sydney, Australia, Canberra

☆ Australian regulator seeks 'hundreds of millions' in fines for Qantas
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The maximum penalty Qantas faces is 10% of annual turnover, which was A$19.8 billion in the year to June, according to Australian consumer laws. Cass-Gottlieb said the ACCC would seek a fine for Qantas that was "significantly more than" the record A$125 million ($81 million) automaker Volkswagen was fined in 2019 for breaching Australian consumer laws. "We consider these penalties have been too low, we think the penalty should be in hundreds of millions, not tens of millions", she added. The regulator has said that Qantas kept selling tickets for an average of 16 days after it had cancelled flights for reasons often within its control. ($1 = 1.5420 Australian dollars)Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; editing by Miral FahmyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Loren Elliott, Gina Cass, Gottlieb, Cass, Renju Jose, Miral Organizations: Qantas, Sydney Airport, REUTERS, Rights Companies Qantas Airways Ltd, Qantas Airways, Australian Competition, Consumer Commission, Australia, ABC Radio, Volkswagen, Thomson Locations: Australia, Sydney, Francisco

☆ Regulators want to fine Qantas 'hundreds of millions of dollars' for selling tickets for thousands of already-cancelled flights
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Pete Syme | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

It's accusing Qantas of continuing to sell tickets for 8,000 flights that had been cancelled. And it's seeking a record-breaking fine in the hundreds of millions of dollars, per Reuters. AdvertisementAdvertisementQantas could be fined hundreds of millions of dollars for selling tickets for thousands of flights that had already been cancelled if regulators get their way, Reuters reported. AdvertisementAdvertisementThat amounts to 70% of cancelled Qantas flights where tickets were still sold or ticket holders weren't told for at least two days after the cancelation, the regulator said. "We think the penalty should be in hundreds of millions, not tens of millions", she added, per Reuters.

Persons: weren't, Gina Cass, Gottlieb Organizations: Australian, Qantas, Morning, Reuters, Australian Competition, Consumer Commission, ACCC, Cass, Volkswagen

☆ Australia regulator sues Qantas alleging sale of tickets on cancelled flights
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Qantas aircraft are seen on the tarmac at Melbourne International Airport in Melbourne, Australia, November 6, 2018. REUTERS/Phil Noble//File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Qantas Airways Ltd FollowSYDNEY, Aug 31 (Reuters) - Australia's competition regulator sued Qantas Airways (QAN.AX) on Thursday, accusing it of selling tickets to thousands of flights after they were cancelled, putting the airline at risk of huge fines and reputational turbulence. The airline kept selling tickets for an average of 16 days after it had cancelled flights for reasons often within its control, such as "network optimisation", the ACCC added. Qantas kept selling tickets to one Sydney-to-San Francisco flight 40 days after it had been cancelled, the regulator said. At the Senate hearing, Joyce confirmed Qantas had written to the federal government in 2022 asking it to deny a request from Qatar Airways, a Qantas competitor on international routes, to increase flights to Australia.

Persons: Phil Noble, Rico Merkert, Alan Joyce, Joyce, Gina Cass, Gottlieb, Byron Kaye, Poonam, Shailesh Kuber, Rashmi Aich, Gerry Doyle, Edmund Klamann Organizations: Qantas, Melbourne International Airport, REUTERS, Rights Companies Qantas Airways Ltd, SYDNEY, Qantas Airways, Australian Competition, Consumer Commission, ACCC, Sydney University's Institute of Transport, Logistics Studies, Australia, Senate, Qatar Airways, Qatar, Thomson Locations: Melbourne, Australia, Sydney, Francisco, Bengaluru

☆ Aussie regulator takes Qantas to court for selling cancelled flights' tickets
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Aug 31 (Reuters) - Australian competition regulator has taken Qantas Airways (QAN.AX) to court, alleging the flagship carrier in mid-2022 kept selling tickets for more than 8,000 cancelled flights for an average of over two weeks after the flights were called off. "We have commenced these proceedings alleging that Qantas continued selling tickets for thousands of cancelled flights, likely affecting the travel plans of tens of thousands of people," ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said. "However, this case does not involve any alleged breach in relation to the actual cancellation of flights, but rather relates to Qantas' conduct after it had cancelled the flights." ACCC said it would pursue orders including penalties, injunctions, declarations, and costs against the airline for its conduct after flight cancellations. Reporting by Poonam Behura in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Rashmi AichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Gina Cass, Gottlieb, Poonam, Shailesh Kuber Organizations: Qantas Airways, Qantas, Australian Competition, Consumer Commission, Airlines, ACCC, Qantas Group, Jetstar, Thomson Locations: Australian, Bengaluru

The logo of the ANZ Bank is seen at Lambton Quay, in Wellington, New Zealand November 10, 2022. "A substantial lessening of competition in home loans would have major flow-on impacts to Australians with a mortgage," he added. The companies said they would seek a review of the determination at the Australian Competition Tribunal, an offshoot of the federal court which oversees takeover rulings. Taking the deal to the competition tribunal would delay its completion to mid-2024, if the tribunal approved it, from the late 2023 timeline the companies gave when they announced it a year ago. The ANZ-Suncorp deal also needs sign-off from Treasurer Jim Chalmers who declined to comment.

Persons: Lucy Craymer, Mick Keogh, Gina Cass, Gottlieb, Jim Chalmers, Byron Kaye, Himanshi, Stephen Coates Organizations: ANZ Bank, REUTERS, ANZ, Suncorp, ANZ Group, Australian Competition, Consumer Commission, Australian Competition Tribunal, Citi, Telstra, TPG Telcom, Thomson Locations: Lambton Quay, Wellington , New Zealand, Melbourne, Sydney, Bengaluru

☆ Australia's competition watchdog puts data brokers on radar
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File PhotoJuly 10 (Reuters) - Australia's competition watchdog on Monday asked consumers, businesses and other relevant stakeholders to provide their views about the business practices of data brokers in an attempt to regulate the country's digital platform services sector. Data brokers generally gather information like personal details of customers including their browsing and purchasing behaviour from a wide range of sources such as mobile applications, social media sites and card payment providers. The report will explore how third-party data brokers collect and use information to create products and services and if there may be competition and consumer issues arising from this, the ACCC said in a statement. The regulator's digital platforms branch has been conducting a five-year inquiry till 2025 to inquire into the markets for the supply of digital services. The report will focus on businesses that collect information from third-party sources and share or sell data to other organisations and, on the off chance that there might be competition and customer issues emerging from it.

Persons: Brendan McDermid, Gina Cass, Gottlieb, Rishav Chatterjee, Rashmi Organizations: Oracle Corp, New York Stock Exchange, REUTERS, Australian Competition, Consumer Commission, Oracle, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, Ireland, Australia, Bengaluru

☆ Australian regulator to monitor rapid growth in digital platforms sector
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 8 (Reuters) - The Australian competition regulator said on Wednesday it would probe the country's fast-evolving ecosystem of digital platform service providers as part of a five-year inquiry into the sector. "Interconnected products ... can provide consumers with a seamless experience that simplifies everyday tasks, but it's important that competition and consumers are not harmed as digital platforms invest across different sectors and technologies and expand their reach," ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb said. ACCC also published an issues paper, seeking feedback from consumers, businesses and relevant stakeholders concerning the investment choices made by digital platforms and the potential effect on competition and consumers. This follows the ACCC announcing in January that it had conducted a sweep to identify misleading testimonials and endorsements by social media influencers across a range of digital platforms. Reporting by Riya Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Sherry Jacob-PhillipsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Australia regulator to probe social media influencers for false endorsements
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Australia's competition regulator said on Friday it would check whether influencers on social media platforms had failed to disclose their affiliation with the brands they were promoting. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said it would look at more than 100 influencers after several consumers informed the regulator about some endorsements and testimonials which they said were misleading. The probe will target influencers in fashion, cosmetics, food and beverage, travel, fitness, parenting, gaming and technology. It will also check if advertisers, marketers, brands and social media platforms are facilitating any misconduct. The ACCC has been conducting a series of investigations as part of a broader Digital Platform Services Inquiry, focused on the provision of social media services, including sponsored posts and influencer advertising on social media platforms.

☆ Australia fines Uber $14 mln for misleading on fares and cancellation fees
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Byron Kaye | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Dec 7 (Reuters) - An Australian court fined Uber Technologies Inc (UBER.N) A$21 million ($14 million) on Wednesday for threatening cancellation fees it never charged and overstating fare estimates on some rides. The evidence supplied suggested less than 0.5% of Uber customers had gone ahead with a trip due to concern about cancellation fees. The UberTaxi algorithm overshot the fare estimate 89% of the time, but less than 1% of total Uber rides used that service, the judge said. The judge had made clear that the lower penalty "should not be understood as any reduction in the court's resolve to impose penalties appropriate to ... deterring contraventions of the Australian Consumer Law", Cass-Gottlieb added. ($1 = 1.4945 Australian dollars)Reporting by Byron Kaye; Editing by Bradley Perrett, Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Fitbit sued in Australia for misleading consumers on faulty devices
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 24 (Reuters) - Australia's competition regulator has begun court proceedings against Fitbit LLC for allegedly making false or misleading claims to consumers about their guarantee rights on faulty devices, it said on Monday. "All consumers have... automatic consumer guarantee rights that cannot be excluded, restricted or modified. The consumer guarantee rights exist in addition to any warranties offered by manufacturers," said ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb. Additionally, Fitbit told consumers that once they received a replacement device for an originally faulty product, they were not entitled to a second replacement if Fitbit's two-year 'limited warranty period' for the original device had expired, ACCC alleged. The ACCC, which is seeking penalties and injunctions, said their case includes 58 examples of consumers who were allegedly misled by Fitbit when they complained about faulty devices.

☆ Two Australian regulators open investigations into Optus after data breach
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Two Australian regulators said on Tuesday they have opened investigations into Optus, the country's No. 2 telecoms provider, after a breach of its systems resulted in the theft of personal data from up to 10 million accounts. The agency added that it finds there was a breach of Australian privacy law, it can seek civil penalties of up to A$2.2 million ($1.4 million) per contravention. Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb told a parliamentary hearing the regulator was receiving 600 calls a day from people concerned about the Optus breach, although few had been scammed as a result. ($1 = 1.5881 Australian dollars)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Byron Kaye; Editing by Edwina GibbsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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