Australia's New Merger Regime

Event Details

Australia has now fully transitioned from an informal, voluntary merger regime to a mandatory and suspensive pre-clearance regime, marking a fundamental shift in how mergers are reviewed and approved. The new framework replaces a prosecutorial, court-based model with an administrative decision-making process, subject to limited merits review by the Competition Tribunal.

This change has significant practical implications for business and advisers. Australia must now be considered far more frequently — and earlier — when assessing filing strategies, transaction timing, and global deal coordination.

We invite you to join a discussion with Luke Woodward, Commissioner at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), focusing on the ACCC's approach to the new merger regime and what parties can expect in practice.

The discussion will explore:

• How the ACCC is implementing the new framework;
• what the reforms mean for transaction planning, review timelines, and deal certainty; 
• and early insights into how the new regime is shaping merger engagement in Australia and beyond.

Chair

Dr Helen Jenkins, Oxera

Speaker

Luke Woodward, Commissioner at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)

Pricing and Registration

This event is open to members of the Competition Law Forum at BIICL and invited guests. Please contact the Events team to request a place at this event.

Find out more about the Competition Law Forum