Sydney, 17-19 September 2019 – Senior officials of consumer protection agencies from all ASEAN Member States, Australia and New Zealand gathered with their competition enforcement peers to share knowledge and cultivate links for more efficient and cohesive implementation of competition and consumer protection laws in enhancing consumer welfare.

This three-day study visit explored the interface between laws on competition and consumer protection and respective agencies in practice. Topics studied included building inter-agency coordination and synergies; strategies for effective engagement with consumer and business organisations and data and complaints handling techniques. 42 participating officials leveraged this opportunity to form connections, study, cultivate regulatory good practice and identify practical next steps for strengthening consumer protection in the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA).

Chair of the AEGC, Mr Mohammad Haizam Hashim, noted, “The study visit has facilitated the exchange of ideas between ASEAN, Australia and New Zealand agencies. These ideas not only cover practical issues, but also policy. This will allow us to go home and develop our strategic plans for both competition and consumer law enforcement and cooperation.”

Chair of the ASEAN Committee on Consumer Protection, Rasamee Vistaveth, commented: “This study visit has broadened our horizons. I’d like for the competition and consumer agencies in each AMS to go back and start to cooperate and collaborate, particularly on key issues that cross both competition and consumer law. Hopefully this is the start of a closer relationship between competition and consumer law enforcement throughout ASEAN”.

The study visit was organised by the ACCC, with support from the ASEAN Secretariat, as part of the Consumer Protection Scoping Project (CPSP) under the AANZFTA Economic Cooperation Support Programme (AECSP).