Merger law winners
Opposition to proposed merger laws from local tech companies, VC firms and competition lawyers has been fierce. But private healthcare operators and small retailers could potentially be early winners.
Treasury's proposals to change Australian merger laws have faced some hefty criticism from competition lawyers, the Law Council, the national tech industry and VC firms.
But there are also likely to be sectors and groups that benefit from the changes — although the extent of that may depend on how the legislation is interpreted, as well as some yet-to-be-decided finer details.
For example, Treasury is now consulting on notification thresholds that will decide exactly what size deals must go to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) for review.
The ACCC has long contended that a stronger merger regime would benefit consumers. Among the proposals, those designed to penalise serial acquisitions and roll-up strategies have been backed by consumer advocacy group Choice.
