Treasury Laws Amendment (Doubling Penalties for ACCC Enforcement) Bill 2026; Second Reading

Summary

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) will be able to impose much tougher financial penalties on companies that break competition and consumer protection laws. The maximum penalty for most anti-competitive behaviour and misleading conduct doubles from $50 million to $100 million, with the actual penalty determined by courts based on the benefit gained or a percentage of the company's turnover — whichever is highest. This affects laws in the Competition and Consumer Act, including rules against cartels, false advertising, and misleading business conduct. The government is making this change because rising fuel prices during global instability create opportunities for companies to unfairly hike prices, and current penalties are considered too low to deter misconduct — international standards suggest Australia's penalties lag behind other developed nations.

What happens at this stage

The main debate on whether the chamber supports the broad purpose of the bill. Members speak to its overall merits and concerns rather than the fine print. The government outlines its policy intentions; the opposition and crossbench put their case. This is the stage that determines whether the bill proceeds at all.

Next: Consideration in Detail (House) or Committee of the Whole (Senate), where the bill is examined clause by clause