Corones' Competition Law in Australia, 8th Edition

The Eighth Edition of Corones’ Competition Law in Australia provides a clear and comprehensive discussion of the competition and access provisions of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth). It covers horizontal and vertical restraints, misuse of market power, mergers, as well as access to essential services and infrastructure. The text explains the statutory provisions and provides an accessible discussion of the economic tools and concepts used in competition decision-making. It also describes the evolution of the statutory text and the approach of the courts and agencies in interpreting and applying the key provisions.

The Eighth Edition has been comprehensively re-written by a new author, Professor Yane Svetiev from The University of Sydney Law School, and includes:

• A re-worked introduction which places the role of competition and competition law in the broader political and economic context. It charts the changing role of competition as a disciplining mechanism in the Australian economy and evaluates the recent push for a more assertive competition law overseas and in Australia.
• A substantial revision and restructuring of all key chapters, including those on economic concepts, cartels, exclusive dealing, unilateral conduct and mergers to focus them on the current text of the statutory provisions. The discussion of existing caselaw has been situated in the context of the current statutory language, with the author providing critical commentary on the likely and appropriate interpretation.
• A re-ordering of chapters to allow an incremental understanding of key forms of anti-competitive conduct, with increased cross-referencing within and across chapters to make the text more user-friendly.
• The addition of a “Comments and Discussion” section for all key substantive chapters to highlight the main contentious issues in the interpretation and application of the relevant provisions, as well as to chart potential future developments including in digital markets.
• Coverage of new statutory and caselaw developments while reducing the overall length of each chapter. It incorporates accessible explanations of new cases with complex fact patterns, such as Vodafone, Pacific National, NSW Ports, Port of Newcastle, TasPorts as well as the criminal cartel cases, such as Country Care and ANZ.

Extract from the Foreword by the Hon Robert French AC (Former Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia and Chancellor of the University of Western Australia)

"The text has a long and honourable history in the field of competition law. Emeritus Professor Stephen Corones, its founding author, has been an intellectual leader in this field. Professor Yane Svetiev, who was asked to take over the authorship of the book last year, has maintained and enhanced Corones’ legacy. …

The bulk of the book travels well beyond the necessary discussion of key concepts. It explores in granular detail the current state of the legislation and the latest case law. As the author says in the Preface, Stephen Corones is “one of the pioneers of competition law and policy in Australia and his comprehensiveness and attention to detail are still imprinted in the book that continues to bear his name”. It is a resource whose timely replenishment will serve its users well while preserving the solid thirty-year old foundation upon which it rests.

I congratulate Professor Svetiev and the publishers for maintaining this valuable text and for updating it in a way which honours the legacy of its original author and provides a public benefit to all who practice in his area."