ACCC urges Labor to move on Sydney Airport overhaul
The competition watchdog says the Albanese government should act on recommendations to overhaul how take off and landing slots are managed at Sydney Airport, the country’s busiest, backing the findings of a review conducted by former productivity commissioner Peter Harris and calls from airlines and airports.
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairwoman Gina Cass-Gottlieb on Monday said the government should act on the findings in the Harris Review, which have been in government hands since February 2021, sooner rather than later.
Qantas boss Alan Joyce is under fire, and ACCC chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb says the government needs to move. Michael Quelch; Dion Georgopoulos
“We have put a submission in that is in support of the Harris recommendations,” she told The Australian Financial Review.
“We think it’s a key time, particularly with the current state of competition and new entrants … and the capacity to really allow the chance to expand and provide competitive constraint.”
Ms Cass-Gottlieb’s comments come as the ACCC launches legal action against Qantas, accusing it of selling fares on 8000 flights it had already decided to cancel. It is seeking more than $250 million in penalties over what it says was false, misleading and deceptive conduct by the airline.
In a statement on Monday, Qantas said it was reviewing the ACCC allegations, adding that it was the airline’s “longstanding practice… that when a flight is cancelled, customers are offered an alternative flight as close as possible to their original departure time”.
“The ACCC’s allegations come at a time when Qantas’ reputation has already been hit hard on several fronts. We want the community to know that we hear and understand their disappointment,” the
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