The Treasurer, Mr Peter Costello, has directed the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, to undertake a monitoring program of the prices, costs and profits of the container stevedoring companies in the major ports of Adelaide, Brisbane, Burnie, Fremantle, Melbourne, and Sydney.
The ACCC has begun preparations to undertake the monitoring and will shortly hold talks with the companies.
The monitoring program will provide information to the Government and to the community about the progress being made in waterfront reform.
The monitoring program will be conducted the ACCC's Prices Surveillance Act 1983 powers, Acting ACCC Chairman, Mr Allan Asher, said today. The ACCC seeks the full cooperation of the stevedore companies to provide the necessary information to achieve this community understanding.
Specifically the program is directed at monitoring the stevedoring levy. As part of the Governments reform strategy funds were provided to ensure that all stevedoring employees made redundant as part of the reform process received full redundancy entitlements. A levy on the loading and unloading of cargo was to be applied to repay these funds. The stevedores agreed to absorb the full cost of the levy.
The ACCC's monitoring program is to ensure that the costs of the stevedoring levy are fully absorbed by the industry and not passed on to the community.
The ACCC will holding talks with the stevedoring companies over the next few weeks. A public report on the monitoring will be provided at the end of each financial year.
The ACCC has begun preparations to undertake the monitoring and will shortly hold talks with the companies.
The monitoring program will provide information to the Government and to the community about the progress being made in waterfront reform.
The monitoring program will be conducted the ACCC's Prices Surveillance Act 1983 powers, Acting ACCC Chairman, Mr Allan Asher, said today. The ACCC seeks the full cooperation of the stevedore companies to provide the necessary information to achieve this community understanding.
Specifically the program is directed at monitoring the stevedoring levy. As part of the Governments reform strategy funds were provided to ensure that all stevedoring employees made redundant as part of the reform process received full redundancy entitlements. A levy on the loading and unloading of cargo was to be applied to repay these funds. The stevedores agreed to absorb the full cost of the levy.
The ACCC's monitoring program is to ensure that the costs of the stevedoring levy are fully absorbed by the industry and not passed on to the community.
The ACCC will holding talks with the stevedoring companies over the next few weeks. A public report on the monitoring will be provided at the end of each financial year.