A new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), signed by the ACCC and its Filipino counterpart, the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC), will continue to strengthen cooperation between the two competition regulators.
Interagency collaboration fostered by the MOU, will enhance the effective administration of competition law and policy in Australia, the Philippines and the broader ASEAN region, providing better economic outcomes for businesses and consumers.
The MOU was signed by ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb and PCC Chair Michael Aguinaldo in Canberra on Wednesday.
"We welcome this new commitment and the opportunity it provides the ACCC to work even more closely with its counterpart in the Philippines," ACCC Chair Cass-Gottlieb said.
"Robust and effective competition laws foster economic development in both our domestic and global markets.
"This latest achievement is proof of the close and productive connection shared between our two competition regulators and marks the ACCC and the PCC's next step in our joint effort to champion competition and consumer welfare," Ms Cass-Gottlieb said.
The new MOU includes arrangements to cooperate on bilateral activities, such as:
- Sharing best practices through the exchange of officials, non-confidential information, and experiences on matters of mutual interest
- Conducting workshops or training courses for the ACCC and PCC's staff and other officials
- Collaborating on projects of mutual interest, including via international forums
- Notification of investigations and activities that significantly affect the ACCC's and PCC's respective interests.
"Despite our countries' unique economic contexts, we are able to achieve better regulatory and enforcement outcomes when we work collaboratively", Ms Cass-Gottlieb said.
"The ACCC looks forward to continuing to work with its counterpart in the Philippines to address shared challenges in our countries and the broader ASEAN region."
Background
The long-standing relationship between Australia and the Philippines was elevated to a Strategic Partnership in September 2023, establishing an enduring framework for closer cooperation between the two countries.
The Philippines is a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), and the World Trade Organisation, and is a participant to a growing network of economic and free trade agreements with Australia.
Since its inception in 2016, the PCC has worked closely with the ACCC to implement its competition law regime and address anti-competitive practices in the two nations' increasingly connected markets.
The ACCC has built strong connections with the PCC and other competition authorities in the ASEAN region and New Zealand through the ACCC's Competition Law Implementation Program (CLIP), which was created pursuant to the agreement establishing the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA).
