AUSTRALIAN COMPETITION AND CONSUMER COMMISSION

COMPETITION AND CONSUMER ACT 2010

PART VIIA, DIVISION 4, SUBSECTION 95ZC(3)

AUSTRALIAN POSTAL CORPORATION PRICE NOTIFICATION

1. On 31 January 2014, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) received a price notification (a locality notice) from the Australia Postal Corporation (Australia Post) under subsection 95Z(5) of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth) (CCA).

2.      Australia Post’s locality notice proposed price increases for its ‘ordinary’ letter services to apply from 31 March 2014.

3.      Under section 95ZB of the CCA, the ACCC has 21 days from receiving a locality notice to consider the locality notice.

4.      The ACCC decided to not object to the prices relating to notified services that were set out in that locality notice, and advised Australia Post of its decision by notice issued pursuant to subsection 95Z(6)(b) of the CCA on 20 February 2014.

5.      The prices proposed by Australia Post relating to notified services are set out in Attachment A.

6.      Australia Post has also informed the ACCC that it is introducing a concessional stamp rate for Australian Government concession card holders, set at 60 cents. However, the ACCC does not consider the concessional stamp rate to be a ‘notified service’ pursuant to Price Notification Declaration (Australia Post Letter Services) (No. 2) 2011, and as such it is not subject to the price notification provisions in section 95Z of the CCA.

7.      The reasons for the ACCC’s decision have been published on the ACCC’s website and are included in the public register kept under section 95ZC of the CCA.

Attachment A —Australia Post’s proposed prices