Contemplating competition
by Vincent Ciccarello
It
will be strictly business when seven Federal Court judges, prominent
lawyers, business people and academics visit the Novotel Barossa Valley
Resort this month for the fourth Annual University of South Australia
Trade Practices Workshop.
The two-day event, presented by UniSA’s Centre for Regulation and Market
Anaylsis (CRMA), is an opportunity for delegates to hear about and discuss
current competition, consumer protection and regulation issues.
CRMA Director, Professor David Round, said that by attracting high level
presenters, an international guest speaker and representatives from
companies affected by competition issues, the workshop has quickly gained
the reputation of being the best of its kind in Australia.
"The workshop appeals to judges, lawyers, barristers, regulators, various competition authorities and academics," Prof Round said. "The papers are of an academic, practical and judicial nature.
"We try and get a program that reflects what the key issues are at the moment, but we do have reflective and international comparative pieces as well."
Among this year’s guests are Andrew Taylor, a former student of Prof Round and now inquiry director of the UK Competition Commission, and Dr Bob Edgar, senior managing director of ANZ Bank.
Prof Round, a member of the Australian Competition Tribunal and former associate member of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, said previous workshops have attracted speakers from Queensland energy company Energex, international mining company Xstrata, and Qantas, which continues to support the event.
"The workshop has also brought UniSA to the forefront among the legal fraternity," he said. "I think there’s no doubt about that. So it’s been good for the University."
The UniSA Trade Practices Workshop enjoys the support of Barossa Valley Estate and the Business Law Section of the Law Council of Australia.