'More money than God': Federal court hears of alleged Qld mining tech cartel
A civil cartel dispute working its way through the Federal Court has unveiled tensions in an industry supplying technology to Santos and Shell-linked gas projects.
Steak dinners in Brisbane, alleged conversations over "hurting" each others' businesses and copyright spats.
These were some of the details unveiled in the first week of hearings in the competition regulator's ongoing civil cartel court battle against mining technology company Qteq and its executive chairman Simon Ashton last week.
The company, as well as Ashton, face multiple allegations of attempts to induce competitors in what appears to be a close-knit industry
Law firm Clayton Utz is acting for Qteq in the proceedings.
Enforcement action against cartel conduct is an "enduring priority" for the ACCC. Off the back of recent criminal penalties secured against Bingo Industries and Aussie Skips earlier this year, this civil case is the only live cartel enforcement court matter for now, aside from an ongoing appeal by BlueScope Steel and its former sales manager Jason Ellis.
