Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
This milestone brings the campus another step closer to completion.
The main building at the CIT Woden Campus has reached its full height.
This brings the project another step closer to completion.
This major milestone was celebrated today with a topping out ceremony on the building’s fifth floor.
The topping out ceremony finished with the tradition of placing a tree atop the new building. This marks the completion of the structural framework.
For a project with sustainability at its core, it was fitting that the ceremonial tree was crafted from timber frame offcuts.
The tree will become part of on-campus public art for students, staff and the community to enjoy.
The main building’s structure and architectural finish are made from sustainably sourced engineered wood products, manufactured in Australia.
Visible throughout the building, the MASSLAM columns and beams, and cross-laminated timber floors showcase construction innovation and environmental responsibility.
The building’s roof and glazed timber façade will also be finished in the coming months.
The focus will then turn to its internal fit out, landscaping and art before building commissioning and preparing to welcome staff and students.
The CIT Woden Youth Foyer and new Public Transport Interchange will also open alongside the campus.
The project is a key part of revitalising Woden Town Centre as a place to live, work, visit, commute and now study.
The CIT Woden Campus will open to students in semester 2, 2025.
It will support up to 6,500 students each year, and offer the skills and training required for tomorrow’s careers in IT, cybersecurity, business and hospitality.
Canberrans can take advantage of the campus’s student-operated facilities, including:
a café
a restaurant
a hair and beauty salon
retail spaces.
The project is a collaboration between the ACT Government, CIT, delivery partners Lendlease, local businesses and the community.
It has already delivered over 450 jobs for Canberrans. It has also created over 5,000 hours of training for students, apprentices and trainees.
The project will create more new jobs as the campus prepares to open.
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Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
If you have an engineered stone benchtop in your home, there is no need to remove it.
The ACT Government has banned engineered stone benchtops, slabs and panels.
From 1 July 2024, working with these engineered stone products is prohibited.
What you need to know
If you have an engineered stone benchtop already installed in your home, there is no need to remove it if left undisturbed.
Work on engineered stone, such as cutting with a power tool, generates harmful silica dust and should be conducted by a qualified tradesperson.
It is now illegal for any engineered stone benchtop, slab or panel to be installed regardless of whether a building contract exists, an alternative product will need to be used.
This ban follows a national agreement from Work Health and Safety Ministers in December 2023 and strengthens work health and safety laws.
It prohibits the manufacture, supply, processing and installation of engineered stone benchtops, slabs and panels.
There is no transition period for the ban due to the significant health and safety risks of working with engineered stone products.
Engineered stone benchtops, slabs or panels already installed before 1 July 2024 in your home or at a workplace do not need to be removed. If left undisturbed, they do not pose a health risk.
As the ban only applies to benchtops, slabs and panels, it does not include finished engineered stone products that do not need to be processed or modified. These include jewellery, garden ornaments, sculptures and kitchen sinks.
The new laws build on ACT silica safety rules introduced in 2022 to protect workers and strengthen safety standards.
Work involving engineered stone, such as cutting with a power tool, generates airborne crystalline silica (silica dust) and poses a significant health hazard to workers.
This can lead to debilitating respiratory diseases such as silicosis.
The ACT Government will continue to work closely with industry and business to ensure workers remain safe and to assist with the ban.
For more information, visit:
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Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
“It’s amazing to be an advocate for the voiceless while also connecting with community members,” says Ranger Elly.
Have you ever wondered what a day in the life of a Domestic Animal Services (DAS) ranger looks like? For Ranger Elly, every day is different.
The work DAS rangers do is fast-paced and challenging. Rangers like Elly often work on an 11-hour four-day roster, working on-call which means no day is the same. Rangers tend to perform several different duties, spending some time in the office. Most of the time, however, they are out in the field completing hands-on work. Some day-to-day duties may involve responding to dog attacks, animal nuisance complaints or assisting with lost and impounded dogs.
Elly has been working as a ranger for a couple of months. What you might not expect is that she has a Communications and Media degree.
“I applied for the role after uni and went through the competitive online application process. I wanted to do something that was challenging and rewarding. I believe they look for a diverse skillset in the role. I also decided that I didn’t want to be working in an office all day. The work I do as a Domestic Animal Services ranger has a positive impact on the community. The role is so diverse, and I know I’m making a tangible difference,” Elly said.
“The field work is often dynamic and compassionate. I love working with animals. It’s amazing to be an advocate for the voiceless while also connecting with community members,” Elly said.
Elly enjoys being a ranger. Like any job, it does have its difficulties.
“Being a Domestic Animal Services ranger can have its challenges as well. We deal with confronting situations, like dog attacks. A small percentage of the community don’t always work with rangers in a safe or appropriate way. We work daily with members of the community who don’t meet key elements of compliance in pet ownership. An important reminder to the community is, all cats and dogs need to be registered,” Elly said.
Many Canberrans understand the work the rangers do. However, there are certain myths about her work that Elly hopes to bust.
“I think some people think we go out of our way to infringe people or take their dog away, but we don’t. This is only done when necessary. We spend a lot of time working with the community. One of our priorities is to educate the community first and foremost,” she said.
Besides Rangers, there are a lot of other people working behind the scenes at DAS too. There is a kennel team who care for the dogs at the shelter. There are also team members who manage adoptions, work with the community and run educational programs.
“I sometimes think people misunderstand our work. We’re a big team which involves lots of different people doing great things. We’re fortunate to have a lot of dedicated volunteers. They help walk the dogs and enrich their lives while they are with us,” Elly said.
The next intake of Domestic Animal Services volunteers will be in August. It will bring fresh faces and new energy to the volunteer team.
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Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
Nurse Practitioners and authorised midwives will be able to prescribe abortion medication.
ACT Nurse Practitioners and authorised midwives will be able to prescribe abortion medication.
The Health (Improved Abortion Access) Amendment Act 2024 has been passed in the ACT Legislative Assembly.
Up until now, only doctors have been allowed to prescribe abortion medication. The new legislation removes barriers to nurse practitioners and authorised midwives who choose to do so.
This follows positive changes made by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) last year.
The TGA removed restrictions on health practitioners who prescribe and dispense the abortion medication MS-2 Step (mifepristone and misoprostol).
The Bill also requires health practitioners who decline to provide abortion services – on religious or other conscientious grounds – to refer individuals to another practitioner or facility that can provide an abortion in a timely manner. Alternatively, they can give their patients information on how to find such a provider.
The amendments relating to conscientious objection bring the ACT into line with other states and territories. They balance the clients’ rights to access timely abortion care with health practitioners’ rights to not participate in the provision of services that conflict with their beliefs.
Improved access to abortion services will allow Canberrans to obtain appropriate, safe care, and to avoid potentially detrimental impacts to their mental and physical health and wellbeing.
The changes further ensure that women and people who can become pregnant can make decisions about their health care based on what is best for them and their body.
The amendments complement the ACT Government’s accessible abortions scheme, which
supports the provision of no-cost abortions to ACT residents, including to those without access to Medicare.
offers ACT residents free long-acting reversible contraceptives at the time of abortion, if wanted.
These no-cost services have been available through MSI Australia since April 2023.
More recently, participating general practices, pharmacies, pathology services and medical imaging services across the Territory have been included in the scheme.
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Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
The Inner South Health Centre is one of four new health centres for the ACT.
The ACT Government’s new Inner South Health Centre will be located in Griffith.
Consultation is now open on what types of services the centre will provide.
The Inner South Health Centre will be on the corner of Throsby Crescent and Throsby Lane in Griffith. The location is adjacent to the Griffith Shops.
It is one of four new health centres for the ACT.
Centres will also be at South Tuggeranong (Conder), North Gungahlin and West Belconnen.
The ACT Government already opened a health centre in Molonglo in 2022. The centre provides women’s and family health care to the region.
The Government is in the early planning and design stages. The community can now share what services they would like to see available at this new health centre.
The Inner South Health Centre will complement existing services available in Canberra’s public health system including:
nurse-led walk-in centres
the public hospital system.
In the 2024–25 Budget, the ACT Government committed $52.8 million over four years to:
construct the new health centres in North Gungahlin and the Inner South
undertake design work for the health centre in West Belconnen.
The ACT Government will continue to invest in health services and infrastructure across the ACT.
This includes more investment in Canberra’s health workforce, including recruitment, upskilling and committing to nurse and midwife-to-patient ratios.
Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
The new station will house ACT Fire and Rescue and ACT Ambulance services.
Construction is progressing well on Acton’s new state-of-the-art emergency services station.
The new station will house ACT Ambulance Service and ACT Fire & Rescue. It will further improve response times in the city centre and inner north.
Construction is on schedule to be complete in December 2024.
While the building may look finished at that point, there will still be more to do. The station is expected to be operational by June 2025.
The new station will:
house one Fire and Rescue pumper and one aerial appliance, with two crews per shift.
be able to house up to six ambulance vehicles, including EV-charging capacity for our hybrid single response unit (SRU) fleet, and at this stage, one 24/7 ambulance crew.
The station’s design emphasises energy efficiency and aligns with the ACT’s Climate Change Strategy goals.
Its EV chargers will meet the needs of the agency’s electric vehicle fleet.
Solar panels on the roof are expected to create 142MWh per year.
The station is located between Clunies Ross Street and Parkes Way.
Once open, it will equip ACT first responders with the facilities and infrastructure they need to carry out their vital work.
A man has been arrested after crashing a stolen car and injuring two people in the northern suburbs yesterday afternoon.
About 4.45pm on Tuesday 8 April, police were called to Spruance Road at Elizabeth East after reports of a man in possession of a machete.
The man was seen to get into a silver VW Gold bearing stolen registration plates. Northern District patrols spotted the car travelling on Chillingworth Road at Elizabeth East and attempted to stop it however it took off at speed. The car was followed onto Midway Road and police lost sight of the car on Fletcher Road.
Just before 5.10pm police received reports of a car crash on Halsey Road. The grey VW Golf allegedly collided into another car and the driver was seen running from the scene.
Patrols were quickly in the area and saw a man jumping a fence on Spruance Road. The suspect was arrested shortly after without incident.
A 20-year-old man from Elizabeth East was arrested and taken to hospital where he was treated for minor injuries caused by the crash.
The Golf collided with a Nissan Dualis, both the driver, a 64-year-old woman from Salisbury North, and passenger, a 91-year-old man from Hillbank, were taken to hospital where they are being treated for non-life threatening injuries.
Major Crash officers attended the scene to consult with Northern District patrol members who are investigating the crash.
Checks on the VW Golf revealed it had been stolen from an Elizabeth South address earlier in the week.
The Elizabeth East man has been charged with illegal use of a motor vehicle, driving dangerously to avoid a police pursuit, two counts of driving dangerously causing harm, driving at a speed dangerous and leaving the scene of a crash after causing harm. He has been refused bail and will appear in Elizabeth Magistrates Court today (Wednesday 9 April).
Source: Northern Territory Police and Fire Services
The Northern Territory Police Force is calling for witnesses in relation to a serious aggravated assault that occurred in Alice Springs in the early hours of this morning.
Around 10:45am today, police received reports of blood being found on the pavement outside an office building on Bagot Street in The Gap.
Upon review of CCTV, police observed at 4:45am this morning a male offender allegedly stabbed a female victim with an unknown object, before physically assaulting her multiple times. The victim was allegedly dragged from the area by the offender towards Tuncks Road.
Investigations have commenced and police hold concerns for the welfare of the victim.
The offender is described as being shirtless, wearing black shorts, black shoes and a light-coloured hat. The victim is described as wearing a light-coloured long-sleeved jumper, light-coloured pants, light-coloured shoes, with her hair tied up in a bun or ponytail.
Police are particularly interested in speaking to the drivers of multiple vehicles that drove past on Bagot Street and South Terrace at the time of the alleged assault.
Anyone with information is urged to call police on 131 444 and quote reference NTP2500036419. Anonymous reports can also be made through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or via https://crimestoppersnt.com.au/.
If you or someone you know are experiencing difficulties due to domestic violence, support services are available, including, but not limited to, 1800RESPECT (1800737732) or Lifeline 131 114. In an emergency dial 000.
Thresholds and process guidelines released for consultation12 min read
March was a busy month for merger reform. With Treasury’s release of the Ministerial instrument containing the notification thresholds and the ACCC’s release of various process guidelines, we now have some long-awaited clarity on how the new merger regime will work. However, as we move closer to implementation, many key details remain under consultation.
In this Insight, we review the new notification thresholds and process guidelines, considering guidance from the Ministerial instrument as well as the following ACCC publications:
On 28 March 2025, Treasury released the Exposure Draft Competition and Consumer (Notification of Acquisitions) Determination 2025 (Draft Instrument) with submissions open until 2 May 2025. The Draft Instrument provides the criteria for when a transaction will require notification—it sets out the monetary and control thresholds, the meaning of an acquisition having a ‘connection’ to Australia, notification exemptions and the proposed form of notification.
While the notification threshold values are largely as foreshadowed, there are new details about how the thresholds will apply (eg how to calculate turnover and in respect of which parties).
Key details about when the ACCC will be able to grant a waiver are not yet available. The ACCC will consider the object of the CCA, the interests of consumers, the likelihood that the acquisition would meet the notification thresholds and the likelihood that the acquisition would, or would be likely to, substantially lessen competition. The ACCC will likely grant notification waivers within 20 business days.
Pre-notification with the ACCC is encouraged at least two weeks before filing. Parties involved in acquisitions in concentrated markets, part of global transactions or that may require a remedy are encouraged to engage in early pre-notification.
There will be a short-form and long-form notification, depending on the nature of the transaction. Both forms require parties to include organisational charts, financial information and transaction information. Long-form notifications will be required for horizontal, vertical or conglomerate acquisitions. Long-form notifications also require the production of a broader range of documents, including board documents and those relating to transaction rationale, the acquisition itself, the value of the target, competitive or market conditions and relevant product or service business plans.
How will the notification thresholds work?
An acquisition will require notification where:
it meets the monetary thresholds;
it involves an acquisition of control; and
the target is ‘connected with Australia’,
unless an exemption to notification applies. Certain types of acquisitions must be notified regardless of the thresholds and, as the prohibition on transactions that substantially lessen competition will continue to apply, parties will still need to consider whether an acquisition raises competition concerns even if it is not notified.
The primary thresholds
As noted in the Draft Instrument, an acquisition in a target ‘connected with Australia’ (discussed further below), will be notifiable if it meets either of the following monetary notification thresholds:
‘acquisitions resulting in large or larger corporate groups’; or
‘acquisitions by very large corporate groups’.
ACQUISITIONS ‘RESULTING’ IN LARGE OR LARGER CORPORATE GROUPS
ACQUISITIONS ‘BY’ VERY LARGE CORPORATE GROUPS
Combined Australian turnover of merger parties is at least $200 million (Combined Acquirer/Target Turnover Test); AND
Either:
the target has turnover of at least $50 millionOR
the transaction value is at least $250 million.
Acquirer group has Australian turnover of at least $500 million (Very Large Corporate Groups Turnover Test); AND
the target has turnover of at least $10 million.
Turnover will be calculated by reference to ‘GST turnover’ on the date of signing and should consider the GST turnover of any ‘connected entities‘.
There are two tests to determine whether an entity is a connected entity:
an entity is a connected entity of another entity if the second entity is an associated entity of the first entity for the purposes of s50AAA of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (the Act); and
an entity is a connected entity of another entity if the first entity ‘controls’ the second entity for the purposes of s50AA of the Act (as modified by s51ABS(2) of the Act).
In addition, it has been clarified that the $50 million / $10 million turnover aspect of the thresholds now only relates to the target (rather than to at least two of the merger parties, as foreshadowed previously).
Creeping or serial acquisitions thresholds
The thresholds for creeping or serial acquisitions are largely as foreshadowed, but there are some new details.
ACCUMULATED THRESHOLD BASED ON THE COMBINED AUSTRALIAN TURNOVER OF THE MERGER PARTIES
ACCUMULATED THRESHOLD BASED ON VERY LARGE CORPORATE GROUPS
Combined Australian turnover of the merger parties is at least $200 million (Combined Acquirer/Target Turnover Test); and
the accumulated target turnover in the last three years in relation to the same or substitutable goods or services exceeds $50 million on the signing date.
the Very Large Corporate Groups Turnover Test is satisfied, ie acquirer has turnover of at least $500 million; and
the accumulated target turnover in the last three years in relation to the same or substitutable goods or services exceeds $10 million on the signing date.
In essence, these thresholds require an aggregation of current turnover of the proposed target with the current turnover of ‘previous’ targets acquired over the last three years in the same industry. This includes previous targets acquired by a connected entity of the acquirer. Previous acquisitions that have been notified, where target turnover is less than $2 million or where the target is not connected with Australia, are excluded from the calculation of accumulated turnover. There is also an exemption to the serial or creeping acquisition threshold where the proposed target turnover is less than $2 million.
While the notification threshold takes into account only past acquisitions of the acquirer, the ACCC will consider previous acquisitions by both the acquirer and target as part of its substantive assessment. Both the proposed short- and long-form notifications request details about the merger parties’ relevant past acquisitions.
Acquisition of shares in ‘Chapter 6’ entities, defined in s51ABJ of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) (CCA) as listed companies, unlisted companies of more than 50 members or a listed registered scheme, are not required to be notified unless the acquisition results in someone’s voting power in the entity:
increasing from 20% or below to more than 20%; or
increasing further from a starting point that is above 20%.
Acquisition of shares in non-Chapter 6 entities (ie private companies, private managed investment schemes and unlisted companies with fewer than 50 members) are not required to be notified unless the acquisition results in the acquirer gaining ‘control’ of the target (and the monetary thresholds are met). ‘Control’ is defined in s50AA of the Act as having the capacity to determine the outcome of decisions about another company’s financial and operating policies.
Treasury previously alluded to a potential requirement that acquisitions of 20% or more in an unlisted or private company (which met the monetary notification thresholds) be notified, however this is not contained in the Draft Instrument.
A share or asset is connected with Australia if the share is in a body corporate that carries on business in Australia, or the asset is used in, or forms part of, a business carried on in Australia.
Treasury is considering whether the ‘connected with Australia’ test should be expanded to include shares or assets in an entity that ‘intends to carry on a business in Australia’. If it is expanded, this definition may capture transactions without a current nexus in Australia, eg where neither the acquirer nor target group has current market presence.
The merger legislation empowers the Minister to determine (for a period of five years) a class of acquisitions required to be notified. These determinations apply even if the acquisition does not meet the monetary thresholds or result in control. The Draft Instrument makes certain acquisitions of businesses and land by major supermarkets subject to notification in this way.
If a merger falls below the notification thresholds, the current ‘substantial lessening of competition’ test (under s50 of the CCA) will continue to apply. The ACCC encourages parties to notify mergers that are likely to substantially lessen competition even if they do not meet the notification thresholds.
The Draft Instrument includes exemptions to the notification thresholds, namely:
acquisitions in insolvency processes by administrators, receivers, managers or liquidators, transfers of control due to inheritance, acquisitions by trustees or nominees and routine trading in financial securities are exempt from notification.
however, any acquisitions from administrators, receivers, managers or liquidators are still subject to notification requirements.
certain classes of land acquisitions are exempt, namely:
acquisitions made for the purposes of developing residential premises;
certain commercial property acquisitions by businesses primarily engaged in buying, selling or leasing land, where the acquisition is for a purpose other than operating a commercial business on the land; and
extensions or renewals of a lease for land upon which a commercial business is currently being operated.
In relation to the land acquisitions exemption, the explanatory memorandum for the Draft Instrument clarifies that the exemption does not extend to any merger where land acquisition is a key component of the broader transaction, or where the land acquired is to be used and operated for commercial reasons.
What are the key aspects of the ACCC’s process?
The ACCC envisions the pre-notification process can be used to raise any issues and discuss possible areas of focus to reduce the likelihood of extensive information requests and delay of the determination period. Parties involved in concentrated markets, global transactions or that may be required to provide a remedy are encouraged to engage in early pre-notification. As in overseas administrative regimes, we anticipate the ACCC will use this period to identify any possible areas of focus or points of concern and identify additional information that should be covered by the notification before it is formally filed.
Requests for pre-notification engagement will be made via the ACCC’s online merger portal. Once submitted, the ACCC will endeavour to contact parties within five business days.
Parties can voluntarily seek a waiver from notification. If granted, notification will not be required. This provides some certainty to parties as to whether or not they need to notify.
In assessing waiver applications, the ACCC will consider the object of the CCA (ie to enhance the welfare of Australians through the promotion of competition and fair trading and provision for consumer protection), the interests of consumers, the likelihood that the acquisition would meet the notification thresholds and the likelihood that the acquisition would, or would be likely to, substantially lessen competition.
Waiver applications will not be kept confidential and will be available on the ACCC’s Acquisition Register to allow interested third parties to make submissions. The ACCC expects to make most waiver determinations within 20 business days of receiving a waiver application.
Additionally, if the parties notify the ACCC of the merger, there is an option for fast-track review under Phase 1, whereby the ACCC can approve acquisitions after 15 business days. The ACCC expects to approve approximately 80% of mergers in 15 to 20 business days via either Phase 1 or the notification waiver process.
Acquisitions that ‘are notified’ (including voluntarily) or ‘required to be notified’ will be ‘stayed’. This means parties will contravene the CCA if the acquisition is ‘put into effect’ prior to the ACCC’s merger determination.
The Draft Process Guidelines indicate that putting an acquisition ‘into effect’ does not necessarily require the full transfer of legal ownership. For instance, putting the acquisition ‘into effect’ may include pre-completion activities such as terminating employment of key employees, closing key facilities or integrating IT systems.
A party will not put the acquisition ‘into effect’ by merely entering into conditional acquisition agreements, such as those with condition precedents, including obtaining regulatory approval, until they become binding.
FIRB will continue to notify the ACCC of any foreign transactions that may raise competition concerns, as under the current regime.
There will be short and long notification forms (with the former to be used for acquisitions unlikely to raise competition concerns). Both forms will require the provision of certain documents up front, such as transaction documents, financial reports and organisational charts.
In addition, long-form notifications will also require the disclosure of additional documents, which may include board documents and those pertaining to transaction rationale, the acquisition itself, the value of the target, competitive or market conditions and relevant product or service business plans.
The ACCC has provided provisional guidance in relation to when parties should use the long-form notification:
Horizontal acquisitions: where parties supply or potentially supply products or services in the same market, and the combined market share post-acquisition is:
equal to or greater than 40% and the increment resulting from the acquisition is equal to or greater than 2%; or
equal to or greater than 20% but less than 40% and the increment resulting from the acquisition is equal to or greater than 5%.
Vertical acquisitions: where a party supplies products or services in a market that is upstream or downstream from a market in which another party to the acquisition supplies products or services; and
the party active in the upstream market has an estimated market share equal to or greater than 30% and the other party has a downstream market share of equal to or greater than 5%; or
the party active in the downstream market has an estimated market share equal to or greater than 30% and the other party has an upstream market share of equal to or greater than 5%.
Conglomerate acquisitions: where the parties supply ‘adjacent’ products or services and one of the parties to the acquisition has an estimated market share equal to or greater than 30%.
Other circumstances: the ACCC has suggested that use of the long form may be appropriate even where the above criteria are not met, particularly where:
the merger involved a ‘vigorous and effective competitor’.
the merger involves the acquisition of a firm developing a significant product in a market where the parties potentially overlap.
there is an acquisition of a firm that supplies or controls access to a significant input or asset, eg raw materials or intellectual property, or a firm with a significant user base.
Merger parties should be aware that, following ACCC approval, a transaction must not be completed until at least 14 calendar days have passed since the approval. This is to allow any interested parties to apply to the Competition Tribunal to review the ACCC’s merger determination.
Given this, the earliest parties can complete an acquisition is around 29 days after an effective notification is made (noting the ACCC cannot make a decision earlier than 15 business days). Approvals will only be valid for 12 months.
A notifying party or third party may apply to the Tribunal for a limited merits review of an ACCC merger determination. An application for review must be made within 14 calendar days after the ACCC’s reasons for determination are published on the Acquisitions Register.
The Tribunal must make its determination within 90 days after the later of the last day on which an application for review could have been made, or the day the applicant gives the Tribunal further information. The Tribunal may extend this period by 60 days once, for no reason, or by another 90 days once, if it is satisfied it will need more time to review relevant materials to the matter.
What are the transitional arrangements, and which regime should you use?
Key dates
The current informal regime will close on 31 December 2025
If your transaction is not cleared by the ACCC before 31 December 2025, the ACCC will discontinue its review and list the transaction on the public register as having ‘no decision.’ If parties do not receive ACCC informal clearance by 31 December 2025, they will need to re-notify under the new regime if the notification thresholds are satisfied, or if there is a potential competition concern per s50 of the CCA.
Informal review applications should be submitted by 30 September
ACCC guidance on transitional arrangements have indicated that any informal review applications submitted after 1 October 2025 are unlikely to be completed before the new regime takes effect.
Even then, there may be a risk that such a review is not concluded by 31 December 2025 when the informal regime ceases to operate, and parties may have to file again under the new regime.
Acquisitions approved between 1 July and 31 December 2025
Acquisitions approved under the informal regime between 1 July and 31 December 2025 will be exempt from filing under the new regime, provided completion occurs within 12 months. Otherwise, parties will need to lodge a new application under the mandatory regime if notification thresholds are satisfied. In such circumstances, the ACCC will rely upon information received under the informal regime to consider an application under the new regime more quickly.
Informal reviews cleared before 1 July 2025
Parties whose informal review applications are approved prior to 1 July 2025 must re-apply to the ACCC for an exemption letter from the new regime between 1 July 2025 and 31 December 2025 with updated market shares and information. The ACCC recommends that such a request be made between 1 July and 1 October 2025.
Filing voluntarily under the new regime from 1 July 2025 is encouraged
Due to the uncertainty that surrounds the volume of applications the ACCC will receive prior to the closure of the informal merger clearance regime, the ACCC is encouraging parties to voluntarily notify under the new regime from 1 July 2025.
Depending on when parties are contemplating an ACCC filing or engaging with the ACCC, the following chart may assist with decisions about which regime to use during the transitional period.
Which regime to use
Next steps
Treasury’s consultation on the Draft Instrument is open until 2 May 2025.
The ACCC’s public consultation on the Draft Process Guidelines is open until 17 April 2025. If you would like to discuss the Draft Guidelines, the impact they may have on your business and the steps you can take to prepare for the new merger regime, please get in touch with us.
We are preparing for the future of mergers in Australia. You can read our previous Insight for a detailed overview of the legal framework and key elements of the new merger regime, or download our practical summary here.
For more information on the ACCC’s Draft Analytical Guidelines, please see our Insight.
As restrictions lift, CFA is urging residents to remain fire-aware, as dry Autumnal conditions combined with strong winds can still lead to fast-moving grassfires.
Deputy Chief Officer for the North East, Gavin Thompson AFSM said favourable weather conditions has allowed restrictions to ease.
“Fire behaviour has slowed remarkably over the last few weeks due to rain events, lower daytime temperatures and single figure night temperatures,” Gavin said.
“We have seen a reduction in callouts to grass and scrub fires over the last several weeks.
“Most nights we have been seeing dew appearing and some parts of the area have even seen their first frost.”
Residents travelling to other parts of Victoria are reminded to remain vigilant, as fire danger periods in other regions may still be active.
With the end of the FDP, some landowners may choose to resume private burn-offs, but it’s essential to take precautions and ensure conditions are safe before proceeding.
To prevent unnecessary emergency callouts, landowners must register their burn-offs. If smoke or fire is reported, it will be cross-checked with the register to avoid an emergency response.
Burn-offs can be registered online at www.firepermits.vic.gov.au.Where possible, landowners should also notify neighbours and those nearby who may be sensitive to smoke.
Burn-off safety checklist
Check fire restrictions in your area and register your burn-off.
Monitor weather conditions, especially wind.
Notify neighbours to prevent unnecessary emergency calls.