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Philip Williams, a director of Frontier (Melbourne) has co-authored with Andrew Harpham and Donald Robertson a paper entitled The Competition Law Analysis of Collaborative Structures (Andrew Harpham, Donald Robertson and Philip Williams, Australian Business Law Review, Vol 34, December 2006, 399-427).

The paper argues that collaborative activity is ubiquitous, and many forms of collaborative activity involve arrangements to do with prices or arrangements that may contain exclusionary provisions. For many of these arrangements, it is not clear whether they fall within the relevant per se contraventions of the Trade Practices Act 1974. When confronted by these difficult cases, the courts should first examine the conduct at issue to discover what is really going on. The case of Radio 2UE provides a lead. If the conduct is of a kind that is obviously monopolistic, it should be characterized as falling within the per se prohibition. If it is not of that kind it should not be so characterized, and in this case should be condemned only if it substantially lessens competition.

For more information, please contact Marita O’Keeffe at m.okeeffe@frontier-economics.com.au or call on +61 (0)3 9620 4488.

National Frameworks For Primary Industries Research Development And Extension

This report reviews reforms to the RDE framework in Australia for primary industries and suggests improvements to funding and institutional arrangements.DOWNLOAD FULL PUBLICATION

Commentary on a paper by Brent Fisse, presented to the 2006 CRMA Trade Practices Conference.DOWNLOAD FULL PUBLICATION

A Report By AGL, Frontier Economics And WWF-Australia On The Economic Costs Of Different Emission Reduction Pathways In The Australian Electricity Sector.

The WWF-Australia, AGL and Frontier Economics study has modelled the cost to Australian society of using low and zero greenhouse gas emission electricity generating technology to achieve a realistic target by 2030 consistent with the greenhouse gas reductions advocated by climate scientists.DOWNLOAD FULL PUBLICATION

Australians could pay as little as $250 each to achieve a 40 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the country's electricity generation industry by 2030, a new study has found.

The WWF-Australia, AGL and Frontier Economics study has modelled the cost to Australian society of using low and zero greenhouse gas emission electricity generating technology to achieve a realistic target by 2030 consistent with the greenhouse gas reductions advocated by climate scientists.

The study, Options for Moving to a Lower Emission Future, found the electricity generating sector's greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced from current levels of nearly 200 million tonnes to 120 million tonnes by 2030 while still meeting growing electricity demand from industries and households.

For more information, please contact Marita O'Keeffe at m.okeeffe@frontier-economics.com.au or call +61 (0)3 9620 4488.

Frontier (Australia) has been engaged by the Department of Primary Industry to provide advice on methods to allocate sites to new tenants in a new wholesale fruit and vegetable market.

The project follows the decision of the Victorian government to establish a new market on a larger site that is closer to major transport corridors. The current market is located close to the central business district and is heavily congested. The vacated market would allow the State to accommodate other infrastructure requirements, including the need to expand the Port of Melbourne.

There is a range of possible allocation mechanisms under evaluation. One possible mechanism is to use an auction which would allow potential tenants to bid for their preferred site. The Victorian Government has recently adopted the use of auctions to allocate timber lots in the State Forests.

For more information, please contact Marita O’Keeffe at m.okeeffe@frontier-economics.com.au or call on +61 (0)3 9620 4488.

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