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The inaugural event of the Regulatory Policy Insitute ANZ (RPI ANZ), “Rebuilding faith in institutions, markets and competition – what is the way forward?” will be a full house this evening, with the event reaching capacity registration.

The panel discussion will feature George Houpis, Director of Frontier Economics alongside Professor George Yarrow, former chair of the Regulatory Policy Institute in Europe, Rosemary Sinclair, CEO of Energy Consumers Australia and Peter Kell, former deputy chair at regulators the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

George will focus on issues and challenges that governments and consumers face in the area of digital platforms. The ACCC’s report into digital platforms was released in mid-2019, and raised certain areas that the Australian regulator was looking into. Many of these same issues are concerning other regulators around the world. George’s presentation will discuss whether existing frameworks are enough to regulate this sector, with particular insights from the European context.

Frontier Economics is jointly sponsoring this event with Herbert Smith Freehills.

Frontier Economics (Europe) director George Houpis is visiting Australia and will present at the inaugural seminar of the Regulatory Policy Institute ANZ on Thursday 29 November.  "Rebuilding faith in institutions, markets and competition: what is the way forward?" will look at challenges revealed in regulated markets such as financial services, energy and the digital space. Is competition in these markets working effectively to deliver beneficial outcomes to consumers?

To respond to these challenges, there have been calls for greater regulation, greater competition and more enforcement. Different types of intervention have been put forward, and other issues are also now on the policy table: fairness, culture, ethics and trust. So what next for the policy environment? What comes next for regulation, markets and consumer?

George is a founding director of Frontier Economics and specialises in the theory and application of regulation and competition policy, market research and forecasting in the telecoms, postal and other sectors.

Along with George Houpis, the panellists discussing these issues include Professor George Yarrow, former chair of the Regulatory Policy Institute in Europe, Rosemary Sinclair, CEO of Energy Consumers Australia and Peter Kell, former deputy chair of ASIC and the ACCC. The panel will be chaired by Liza Carver, Regional Head of Practice, Competition, Regulation and Trade at Herbert Smith Freehills.

To register for this event, please visit the event booking page.

Frontier Economics is jointly sponsoring this event with Herbert Smith Freehills.

For more information, contact us.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) announced today that it would provide informal clearance for ANZ Terminals to buy GrainCorp Bulk Liquid Terminals (GNCLT).  ANZ Terminals and GNCLT provide bulk liquid storage services at a number of ports in Australia.

Lawyers for the ACCC sought advice from Frontier Economics on some economic issues raised by the merger, which centred around competition in certain markets that both companies operate in. The clearance is subject to an undertaking from ANZ Terminals that it would not lease any more of the limited land remaining at the Port of Melbourne's Coode Island without the permission of the ACCC. ANZ Terminals must also divest a facility in South Australia, while GrainCorp must retain a bulk liquid facility in Port Kembla.

Frontier Economics regularly advises clients on a range of competition matters.

For more information, contact us.

Frontier Economics chairman Lord Gus O'Donnell and former Australian Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Robb AO presented to a full house at the 'Brexit & Australia" event in Singapore held on 25 September. The audience was treated to the unique perspectives in government and international trade offered by both presenters, with the occasional controversial statement thrown in!

The Frontier Economics chairman spoke about how Brexit came to pass and the decisions made by the British Government along the way, stretching over three years and three Prime Ministers . He also spoke about the challenges faced by the current government in trying to negotiate a deal that would result in the UK leaving the EU in a more orderly fashion than crashing out with no deal Such a deal would mark the end of the beginning of the negotiations required between the UK and the EU. The next stage is to sort out the details of the UK’s trading relationship with the EU, to replace the deals the EU has with other countries and to negotiate trade deals with countries like Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the USA. Andrew Robb drew parallels between Australia’s program of microeconomic reforms in the 70s and 80s to show that while that transition was difficult, it was followed by substantial economic growth as the country became more liberalised and trade opened up. The parallel drawn with Brexit is that it may have long term beneficial effects on trade, particularly with countries outside of the EU (e.g., Australia).

The event was co-presented by the Australian Chamber of Commerce, Singapore, and the British Chamber of Commerce, Singapore, with the discussion moderated by Juliette Saly from Bloomberg Radio & Television.

Frontier Economics was delighted to sponsor this event as part of our 20th anniversary celebrations.

For more information, contact us.

The Australian Chamber of Commerce and British Chamber of Commerce in Singapore are presenting a joint event, "Brexit & Australia" on Wednesday 25 September 2019.  Frontier Economics is co-organising this event as part of our 20th anniversary celebrations. Brexit & Australia will discuss what is happening in the lead up to and following October 31st when Brexit is due to take place. Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised that the UK will leave the EU regardless, however, there is still considerable uncertainty about the process and what it form it will take. Further ahead, what does Brexit look like for Asia and Australia?

Join our key speakers, Lord Gus O'Donnell, former British senior civil servant & economist, now Chairman of Frontier Economics (Europe) and Andrew Robb AO, former Minister for Trade and Investment in Australia (2013-2016) as they share more on relations between the UK, Australia and the rest of the world.

We would like to thank AustCham and BritCham for co-organising this event. To register, please visit the event page.

In 2019, Frontier Economics is celebrating 20 years of economics.

For more information, please contact us.

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