COMPETITION AND CONSUMER ACT 2010 - SECT 93A Commission to afford opportunity for conference before giving notice

COMPETITION AND CONSUMER ACT 2010 - SECT 93A

  (1)   Before giving a notice under subsection   93(3), (3A) or (3B) or 93AC(1), (2) or (2A) in relation to any conduct or proposed conduct, the Commission shall prepare a draft notice in relation to that conduct or proposed conduct.

  (2)   The Commission shall, by notice in writing sent to the corporation or other person to whose conduct or proposed conduct the draft notice relates and to each other interested person, invite the corporation or other person to notify the Commission, within 14 days after a date fixed by the Commission being not earlier than the day on which the notice is sent, whether the corporation or other person wishes the Commission to hold a conference in relation to the draft notice.

  (3)   The Commission shall send with each notice under subsection   (2) a copy of the draft notice and a summary of the reasons why it proposes to give the notice under subsection   93(3), (3A) or (3B) or 93AC(1), (2) or (2A).

  (4)   If each of the persons to whom a notice was sent under subsection   (2):

  (a)   notifies the Commission in writing within the period of 14   days mentioned in that subsection that the person does not wish the Commission to hold a conference in relation to the draft notice; or

  (b)   does not notify the Commission within that period that he or she wishes the Commission to hold such a conference;

the Commission must decide after the end of that period whether or not to give the notice under subsection   93(3), (3A) or (3B) or 93AC(1), (2) or (2A).

  (5)   If any of the persons to whom a notice was sent under subsection   (2) notifies the Commission in writing within the period of 14 days mentioned in that subsection that he or she wishes the Commission to hold a conference in relation to the draft notice, the Commission shall appoint a date (being not later than 30 days after the expiration of that period), time and place for the holding of the conference and give notice of the date, time and place so appointed to each of the persons to whom a notice was sent under subsection   (2).

  (6)   At the conference:

  (a)   the Commission shall be represented by a member or members of the Commission (being a member or members who participated in the preparation of the draft notice) nominated by the Chairperson; and

  (b)   each person to whom a notice was sent under subsection   (2) and any other interested person whose presence at the conference is considered by the Commission to be appropriate is entitled to attend and participate personally or, in the case of a body corporate, may be represented by a person who, or by persons each of whom, is a director, officer or employee of the body corporate; and

  (c)   a person participating in the conference in accordance with paragraph   (a) or (b) is entitled to have another person or other persons present to assist him or her but a person who so assists another person at the conference is not entitled to participate in the discussion; and

  (e)   no other person is entitled to be present.

  (7)   A member of the Commission participating in the conference shall make such record of the discussions as is sufficient to set out the matters raised by the persons participating in the conference.

  (8)   The member of the Commission who represents the Commission at the conference, or, if the Commission is represented by more than one member of the Commission, one of those members appointed by the Chairperson:

  (a)   may exclude from the conference any person who uses insulting language at the conference, creates, or takes part   in creating or continuing, a disturbance at the conference or repeatedly interrupts the conference;

  (b)   may terminate the conference when he or she is of the opinion that a reasonable opportunity has been given for the expression of the views of persons participating in the conference (other than persons excluded from the conference under paragraph   (a)); and

  (c)   shall give a certificate certifying the day on which the first notification under subsection   (5) in relation to the draft notice was received by the Commission and the day on which the conference terminated;

and any such certificate shall be received in all courts as prima facie evidence of the matters certified.

  (9)   A document purporting to be a certificate referred to in subsection   (8) shall, unless the contrary is established, be deemed to be such a certificate and to have been duly given.

  (10)   The Commission must take account of all matters raised at the conference.

  (10A)   After the conference, the Commission must decide whether or not to give a notice under subsection   93(3), (3A) or (3B) or 93AC(1), (2) or (2A).

  (11)   For the purposes of this section, interested person means a person who has notified the Commission in writing that he or she, or a specified unincorporated association of which he or she is a member, claims to have an interest in the matter, being an interest that, in the opinion of the Commission, is real and substantial.

  (12)   Where the Commission is of the opinion that two or more notices given to the Commission under subsection   93(1) or 93AB(1A) or (1) by the same person, or by persons being bodies corporate that are related to each other, deal with substantially similar conduct or proposed conduct, the Commission may treat the notices as if they constituted a single notice and may prepare one draft notice in relation to the notices so given to the Commission and hold one conference in relation to that draft notice.