The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced new priorities for the 2025-2026 financial year, some of which small-business owners should take note of.
ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb outlined the agency’s new priorities at a Committee for Economic Development of Australia event in Sydney yesterday.
Among the ACCC’s current focuses are excessive and misleading surcharges, deceptive online advertising, greenwashing, unfair contract terms in small-business contracts, and competition issues in various sectors that negative impact SMEs.
In her statement, Cass-Gottlieb highlighted small businesses’ vulnerability to anti-competitive conduct, which can impact price, choice, and the quality of services available to small companies.
“Our priority on promoting competition in essential services with a focus on telecommunications, electricity, and gas will continue,” she said.
The announcement follows a rise in small-business complaints about telcos last quarter. Most of the complaints were about service and connection issues.
Cass-Gottlieb also announced a priority to address power imbalances between large and small businesses.
“Our work will also address the potential imbalance of power more broadly between larger businesses that impose standard form contracts on one hand, and small businesses and consumers on the other as reflected in our priority on unfair contract terms in consumer and small business contracts,” Ms Cass-Gottlieb said.
The ACCC has previously focussed solely on excessive surcharges, but will now widen its scope to address all misleading surcharging practices and other add-on costs.
“We will also continue, as always, to remain clear eyed in our purpose to enhance competition across our economy, to promote the welfare of consumers and small businesses and to make markets work for all Australians,” said Cass-Gottlieb.
