Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth)

Section 47

Exclusive dealing

 
 

(1) Subject to this section, a corporation shall not, in trade or commerce, engage in the practice of exclusive dealing.

(2) A corporation engages in the practice of exclusive dealing if the corporation:

(a) supplies, or offers to supply, goods or services;

(b) supplies, or offers to supply, goods or services at a particular price; or

(c) gives or allows, or offers to give or allow, a discount, allowance, rebate or credit in relation to the supply or proposed supply of goods or services by the corporation;

on the condition that the person to whom the corporation supplies, or offers or proposes to supply, the goods or services or, if that person is a body corporate, a body corporate related to that body corporate:

(d) will not, or will not except to a limited extent, acquire goods or services, or goods or services of a particular kind or description, directly or indirectly from a competitor of the corporation or from a competitor of a body corporate related to the corporation;

(e) will not, or will not except to a limited extent, re‑supply goods or services, or goods or services of a particular kind or description, acquired directly or indirectly from a competitor of the corporation or from a competitor of a body corporate related to the corporation; or

(f) in the case where the corporation supplies or would supply goods or services, will not re‑supply the goods or services to any person, or will not, or will not except to a limited extent, re‑supply the goods or services:

(i) to particular persons or classes of persons or to persons other than particular persons or classes of persons; or

(ii) in particular places or classes of places or in places other than particular places or classes of places.

(3) A corporation also engages in the practice of exclusive dealing if the corporation refuses:

(a) to supply goods or services to a person;

(b) to supply goods or services to a person at a particular price; or

(c) to give or allow a discount, allowance, rebate or credit in relation to the supply or proposed supply of goods or services to a person;

for the reason that the person or, if the person is a body corporate, a body corporate related to that body corporate:

(d) has acquired, or has not agreed not to acquire, goods or services, or goods or services of a particular kind or description, directly or indirectly from a competitor of the corporation or from a competitor of a body corporate related to the corporation;

(e) has re‑supplied, or has not agreed not to re‑supply, goods or services, or goods or services of a particular kind or description, acquired directly or indirectly from a competitor of the corporation or from a competitor of a body corporate related to the corporation; or

(f) has re‑supplied, or has not agreed not to re‑supply, goods or services, or goods or services of a particular kind or description, acquired from the corporation to any person, or has re‑supplied, or has not agreed not to re‑supply, goods or services, or goods or services of a particular kind or description, acquired from the corporation:

(i) to particular persons or classes of persons or to persons other than particular persons or classes of persons; or

(ii) in particular places or classes of places or in places other than particular places or classes of places.

(4) A corporation also engages in the practice of exclusive dealing if the corporation:

(a) acquires, or offers to acquire, goods or services; or

(b) acquires, or offers to acquire, goods or services at a particular price;

on the condition that the person from whom the corporation acquires or offers to acquire the goods or services or, if that person is a body corporate, a body corporate related to that body corporate will not supply goods or services, or goods or services of a particular kind or description, to any person, or will not, or will not except to a limited extent, supply goods or services, or goods or services of a particular kind or description:

(c) to particular persons or classes of persons or to persons other than particular persons or classes of persons; or

(d) in particular places or classes of places or in places other than particular places or classes of places.

(5) A corporation also engages in the practice of exclusive dealing if the corporation refuses:

(a) to acquire goods or services from a person; or

(b) to acquire goods or services at a particular price from a person;

for the reason that the person or, if the person is a body corporate, a body corporate related to that body corporate has supplied, or has not agreed not to supply, goods or services, or goods or services of a particular kind or description:

(c) to particular persons or classes of persons or to persons other than particular persons or classes of persons; or

(d) in particular places or classes of places or in places other than particular places or classes of places.

(6) A corporation also engages in the practice of exclusive dealing if the corporation:

(a) supplies, or offers to supply, goods or services;

(b) supplies, or offers to supply, goods or services at a particular price; or

(c) gives or allows, or offers to give or allow, a discount, allowance, rebate or credit in relation to the supply or proposed supply of goods or services by the corporation;

on the condition that the person to whom the corporation supplies or offers or proposes to supply the goods or services or, if that person is a body corporate, a body corporate related to that body corporate will acquire goods or services of a particular kind or description directly or indirectly from another person not being a body corporate related to the corporation.

(7) A corporation also engages in the practice of exclusive dealing if the corporation refuses:

(a) to supply goods or services to a person;

(b) to supply goods or services at a particular price to a person; or

(c) to give or allow a discount, allowance, rebate or credit in relation to the supply of goods or services to a person;

for the reason that the person or, if the person is a body corporate, a body corporate related to that body corporate has not acquired, or has not agreed to acquire, goods or services of a particular kind or description directly or indirectly from another person not being a body corporate related to the corporation.

(8) A corporation also engages in the practice of exclusive dealing if the corporation grants or renews, or makes it known that it will not exercise a power or right to terminate, a lease of, or a licence in respect of, land or a building or part of a building on the condition that another party to the lease or licence or, if that other party is a body corporate, a body corporate related to that body corporate:

(a) will not, or will not except to a limited extent:

(i) acquire goods or services, or goods or services of a particular kind or description, directly or indirectly from a competitor of the corporation or from a competitor of a body corporate related to the corporation; or

(ii) re‑supply goods or services, or goods or services of a particular kind or description, acquired directly or indirectly from a competitor of the corporation or from a competitor of a body corporate related to the corporation;

(b) will not supply goods or services, or goods or services of a particular kind or description, to any person, or will not, or will not except to a limited extent, supply goods or services, or goods or services of a particular kind or description:

(i) to particular persons or classes of persons or to persons other than particular persons or classes of persons; or

(ii) in particular places or classes of places or in places other than particular places or classes of places; or

(c) will acquire goods or services of a particular kind or description directly or indirectly from another person not being a body corporate related to the corporation.

(9) A corporation also engages in the practice of exclusive dealing if the corporation refuses to grant or renew, or exercises a power or right to terminate, a lease of, or a licence in respect of, land or a building or part of a building for the reason that another party to the lease or licence or, if that other party is a body corporate, a body corporate related to that body corporate:

(a) has acquired, or has not agreed not to acquire, goods or services, or goods or services of a particular kind or description, directly or indirectly from a competitor of the corporation or from a competitor of a body corporate related to the corporation;

(b) has re‑supplied, or has not agreed not to re‑supply, goods or services, or goods or services of a particular kind or description, acquired directly or indirectly from a competitor of the corporation or from a competitor of a body corporate related to the corporation;

(c) has supplied goods or services, or goods or services of a particular kind or description:

(i) to particular persons or classes of persons or to persons other than particular persons or classes of persons; or

(ii) in particular places or classes of places or in places other than particular places or classes of places; or

(d) has not acquired, or has not agreed to acquire, goods or services of a particular kind or description directly or indirectly from another person not being a body corporate related to the corporation.

(10) Subsection (1) does not apply to the practice of exclusive dealing by a corporation unless:

(a) the engaging by the corporation in the conduct that constitutes the practice of exclusive dealing has the purpose, or has or is likely to have the effect, of substantially lessening competition; or

(b) the engaging by the corporation in the conduct that constitutes the practice of exclusive dealing, and the engaging by the corporation, or by a body corporate related to the corporation, in other conduct of the same or a similar kind, together have or are likely to have the effect of substantially lessening competition.

(11) Subsections (8) and (9) do not apply with respect to:

(a)  conduct engaged in:

(i)  by a registered charity; and

(ii)  for or in accordance with the purposes or objects of that registered charity; or

(b)  conduct engaged in in pursuance of a legally enforceable requirement made by a registered charity, being a requirement made for or in accordance with the purposes or objects of that registered charity.

(12) Subsection (1) does not apply with respect to any conduct engaged in by a body corporate by way of restricting dealings by another body corporate if those bodies corporate are related to each other.

(13) In this section:

(a) a reference to a condition shall be read as a reference to any condition, whether direct or indirect and whether having legal or equitable force or not, and includes a reference to a condition the existence or nature of which is ascertainable only by inference from the conduct of persons or from other relevant circumstances;

(b) a reference to competition, in relation to conduct to which a provision of this section other than subsection (8) or (9) applies, shall be read as a reference to competition in any market in which:

(i) the corporation engaging in the conduct or any body corporate related to that corporation; or

(ii) any person whose business dealings are restricted, limited or otherwise circumscribed by the conduct or, if that person is a body corporate, any body corporate related to that body corporate;

supplies or acquires, or is likely to supply or acquire, goods or services or would, but for the conduct, supply or acquire, or be likely to supply or acquire, goods or services; and

(c) a reference to competition, in relation to conduct to which subsection (8) or (9) applies, shall be read as a reference to competition in any market in which the corporation engaging in the conduct or any other corporation the business dealings of which are restricted, limited or otherwise circumscribed by the conduct, or any body corporate related to either of those corporations, supplies or acquires, or is likely to supply or acquire, goods or services or would, but for the conduct, supply or acquire, or be likely to supply or acquire, goods or services.

 

View official version at Federal Register of Legislation

Legislative history

Amended by Competition and Consumer Amendment (Competition Policy Reform) Act 2017 ☞

1 Subsection 47(10)

Omit “constituted by a corporation engaging in conduct of a kind referred to in subsection (2), (3), (4) or (5) or paragraph (8)(a) or (b) or (9)(a), (b) or (c)”, substitute “by a corporation”.

2 Paragraph 47(10)(a)

Omit “that conduct”, substitute “the conduct that constitutes the practice of exclusive dealing”.

3 Paragraph 47(10)(b)

Omit “that conduct”, substitute “the conduct that constitutes the practice of exclusive dealing”.

4 Subsection 47(10A)

Repeal the subsection.

[Note, immediately prior to repeal ss 47(10A) provided:

(10A) Subsection (1) does not apply to a corporation engaging in conduct described in subsection (6) or (7) or paragraph (8)(c) or (9)(d) if:

(a) the corporation has given the Commission a notice under subsection 93(1) describing the conduct; and

(b) the notice is in force under section 93.]

Amended by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (Consequential and Transitional) Act 2012 ➤

Section 163 Paragraphs 47(11)(a) and (b)

Repeal the paragraphs, substitute:

(a)  conduct engaged in:

(i)  by a registered charity; and

(ii)  for or in accordance with the purposes or objects of that registered charity; or

(b)  conduct engaged in in pursuance of a legally enforceable requirement made by a registered charity, being a requirement made for or in accordance with the purposes or objects of that registered charity.

Amended Trade Practices Legislation Amendment (No 1) Act 2006 (Act 131 of 2006) ➤

Amended Competition Policy Reform Act 1995 (Act 88 of 1995) ➤

Amended by Trade Practices Amendment Act 1978 (Act 206 of 1978) ➤

  • Amended s 47 by omitting from sub-sections (6) and (7) ''not being a body corporate related to the corporation''

Subsd by Trade Practices Amendment Act 1977 (Act 81 of 1977) ➤

Commentary

Section 47 of the CCA prohibits various forms of exclusive dealing. Broadly, it captures two types of anti-competitive vertical transactions:

(1) the conditional supply (or acquisition) of goods or services (conditions may relate to the ability to re-supply, exclusivity, limits on ability to acquire from competitors etc)

(2) refusing to supply for specified reasons (eg, because purchaser refuses to agree to a conditional supply).

Exclusive dealing is prohibited only where it has the purpose or effect of substantially lessening competition. Until 6 November 2017 third line forcing was subject to a per se prohibition; however, as part of the Harper Reforms it is now also subject to a competition test.

Notification

Recognising potential benefits associated with exclusive dealing, a system of notification and authorisation is available. Authorisation may be provided on public benefit grounds. More commonly, parties will notify the ACCC of conduct that might fall within the various definitions of exclusive dealing and, while the notification stands, they will not be held in breach of s 47. The ACCC can only remove the notification if they consider the conduct substantially lessens competition and that there are no benefits to the public that would outweigh the anti-competitive detriment.

Last updated: 27 November 2019