Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims has launched a guide for businesses on carbon price claims while speaking in Western Australia today.
Speaking to an audience of business and community leaders, Mr Sims addressed the ACCC's role in policing claims attributing price rises to the carbon pricing mechanism.
"The ACCC is launching this guide to assist business in understanding their rights and obligations when making claims about the impact of a carbon price."
"Business costs increase all the time, and businesses are free to set their own prices. However, if a business chooses to raise their prices they should not misrepresent this as a result of the carbon price when it is not the case.”
“This is not new – the message is simple: if you are going to make a claim, you need to make sure it is right.”
The Carbon Price Claims guide for business is intended to provide initial assistance to businesses preparing for the implementation of the Carbon Pricing Mechanism. The ACCC will continue its programme of engagement with the business community and with the development of further guidance for consumers and industry.
“We’ll be consulting on our guidance as we go, over the next few months, and adjusting it to address questions and issues as they become apparent, including on industry or sector-specific subjects," Mr Sims said.
The Australian Consumer Law provides the ACCC with powers that will be used to investigate the accuracy of claims about the impact of a carbon price. The ACCC may issue a substantiation notice that requires a business to provide information to support any claim it makes about the impact a carbon price.