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Think tank urges Chalmers to commit $20b to kickstart competition

The Tanarra founder's Policy Institute Australia is urging the government to fund a revamped National Competition Policy.

Brandon How
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Industry concentration has increased over the last two decades, according to the Policy Institute Australia. Darren England/AAP Image.

The Policy Institute Australia (PIA) is warning that competition in Australia has declined and has called for a fresh $20 billion war chest to drive a revamped National Competition Policy reform package as part of the government’s upcoming productivity-focused budget.

Some key measures of competition, including in relation to industry concentration and profit share have worsened to “around historic pre-Covid lows”, according to the think tank. The data is compiled in its Competition Pulse dashboard, based on Australian Bureau of Statistics data.

The PIA was established in early 2025 by investment fund Tanarra principal and founder John Wylie. Its CEO is Amy Auster, the former managing director of PwC public sector consulting spinoff Scyne Advisory.

Speaking to Capital Brief, Auster warned that “it’s very hard in a market based economy to achieve productivity growth without competition”.