Dr Philip Williams AM has been appointed as Commissioner of national competition regulator ACCC following an accepted proposal from Federal Treasurer Dr Jim Chalmers in April.
He has replaced outgoing Commissioner Stephen Ridgeway, who will continue with the organisation in the role of Associate Commissioner for the next three years.
Williams has been appointed to a five-year term starting June 27, 2024. The former professor of law and economics at the University of Melbourne is also a former executive chair of Frontier Economics and has previously advised the ACCC and National Competition Council on competition and regulatory issues.
The ACCC recently raised concerns of Aurizon’s proposed acquisition of Flinders Logistics Pty Ltd in South Australia due to potential competition concerns surrounding Port Adelaide’s Berth 29 and the impact on the import and export of mining products and minerals sands.
ACCC chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb says the organisation is looking forward to tapping into Williams’ experience in the area of mergers and competition.
“We are delighted to welcome Dr Williams and look forward to harnessing his immense knowledge in economics and competition law in our application of Australia’s merger laws,” Cass-Gottlieb says.
“We are eager to draw on Dr Williams’ expertise in our work towards implementing reforms to Australia’s merger laws, as well as enforcing the Competition and Consumer Act more broadly.
“Philip’s intellectual rigour and proven capacity to engage with complex legal and economic theory will make valuable contributions to the ACCC.”
Further information about the ACCC’s Chair and Commissioners can be found here.
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