The closing date for submissions was Thursday, 18 October 2012

This bill amends the Commerce Act 1986, introducing criminal sanctions for hard-core cartel behaviour and making amendments to provisions that govern jurisdiction and penalties. In April 2012 the Productivity Commission presented to Parliament its final report on the International Freight Transport Services Inquiry. That report contains a number of recommendations to improve the performance of New Zealand’s international freight systems. Included in those recommendations were recommendations relating to the competition regimes for international shipping and international civil aviation. In the light of those recommendations, the Government has requested that the Commerce Committee consider as part of its consideration of the Commerce (Cartels and Other Matters) Amendment Bill a proposal for international shipping and international civil aviation to transition to competition regimes governed by the Commerce Act. The committee has reported on this proposal in the form of an interim report to the House, which can be viewed at www.parliament.nz. The committee has resolved to seek further submissions from interested groups on the potential impact of the recommendations.

The bill is available for download from the `Related documents´ panel. Print copies can be ordered online from Bennetts Government Bookshops.

The committee requires 2 copies of each submission if made in writing. Those wishing to include any information of a private or personal nature in a submission should first discuss this with the clerk of the committee, as submissions are usually released to the public by the committee. Those wishing to appear before the committee to speak to their submissions should state this clearly and provide a daytime telephone contact number. To assist with administration please supply your postcode and an email address if you have one.

Further guidance on making a submission can be found from the Making a Submission to a Parliamentary Select Committee link in the `Related documents´ panel.