The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission today issued its first report on whether Australia Post is subsidising its competitive activities from its monopoly activities.
"The ACCC has found that Australia Post's 2004–05 regulatory accounts do not provide any evidence of cross-subsidy from its reserved services to its non-reserved services", ACCC Chairman, Mr Graeme Samuel, said.
"The ACCC has not finalised its views on the appropriate level of disclosure in these reports, so this first report does not disclose information that Australia Post considers is confidential. In allowing these exclusions from the report, the ACCC has respected Australia Post's claim of confidentiality. However, it is not necessarily satisfied that all of this information is confidential".
Mr Samuel said the ACCC is now seeking further comments from industry on the appropriate level of disclosure.
The ACCC's preliminary views on the principles for disclosure of information contained in Australia Post's regulatory accounts are contained in a consultation document that has also been released today.
"The ACCC now invites interested parties to submit their views in light of the level of disclosure contained in the first cross-subsidy report.
"If the ACCC determines, after it has finalised its consultations with interested parties, that any of the excluded information should be disclosed, it will re-release the cross-subsidy report and disclose that information", Mr Samuel said.
The 2004–05 cross-subsidy monitoring report and the ACCC's preliminary views on the principles for disclosure will be available from the ACCC website.
Submissions on the principles for disclosure should reach the ACCC by 5 pm 30 September 2006.