Message from the Editors -

The holiday and new year period was not a quiet one in Australian competition law. Many of the recommendations from an extensive assessment of the Australian competition law were implemented. In this edition of Jones Day's Australian and New Zealand Competition Law Update, we discuss the implementation of these changes, in particular the ACCC's regime for obtaining merger clearances and its statutory information gathering powers.

The Australian federal government announced in December 2017 that the ACCC will undertake an inquiry into digital platforms. The ACCC's function when undertaking an inquiry such as the digital media inquiry enables the ACCC to review an industry without the constraints of a particular set of facts such as an allegation of conduct or proposed acquisition. The ACCC's inquiry will not be finalised until 2019, but will provide a timely opportunity for market participants to highlight emerging issues.