Australian Capital Territory Current Acts

INDEPENDENT COMPETITION AND REGULATORY COMMISSION ACT 1997

TABLE OF PROVISIONS

           Long Title

   PART 1--PRELIMINARY

   1.      Name of Act  
   2.      Dictionary  
   2A.     Notes  
   2B.     Joint ownership, control or operation  
   3.      Joint provision of services  
   3A.     Who is a referring authority?  
   4.      Regulated industries—declarations  
   4A.     National electricity rules—electricity distribution and transmission  
   4B.     ACT gas transmission service pricing  
   4C.     Declared fees to be passed on to consumers  

   PART 2--INDEPENDENT COMPETITION AND REGULATORY COMMISSION

   5.      Establishment  
   6.      Constitution  
   7.      Objectives  
   8.      Functions  
   9.      Commission's annual report  
   10.     Independence from Ministerial control  
   10A.    Chief executive officer  
   10B.    Chief executive officer's functions  
   11.     Commission's staff  
   12.     Arrangements with other agencies, bodies and people  
   13.     Delegation of commission's functions  
   14.     Protection from liability  

   PART 3--INVESTIGATIONS

           Division 3.1--Industry references

   14A.    Application of div 3.1-–industry references  
   15.     Nature of industry references  
   15A.    Industry references—current price directions  
   16.     Terms of industry references  
   17.     Procedure for industry reference investigations  
   18.     Draft reports––industry reference investigations  
   19.     Costs for industry reference investigations  

           Division 3.2--Regulatory references

   19A.    Application of div 3.2––regulatory references  
   19B.    Acceptance of regulatory references—competitive neutrality  
   19C.    Acceptance of regulatory references—government-regulated  
   19D.    Regulatory references initiated by commission  
   19E.    Terms of regulatory references  
   19F.    Amendment of terms of regulatory reference  
   19G.    Termination of investigations into regulatory references  
   19H.    Procedure for regulatory reference investigations  
   19J.    Principles for regulatory reference investigations  
   19K.    Costs for regulatory reference investigations  

   PART 4--PRICE DIRECTIONS

   19L.    Objective—pt 4  
   20.     Directions about prices  
   20A.    Price regulation provisions  
   20B.    Reset principles  
   20C.    Effective dates  
   20D.    Price direction to continue to remain in force  

   PART 4A--REPORTS OF INVESTIGATIONS

   21.     Final reports  
   22.     Special reports  
   23.     Confidential material in reports  
   24.     Presenting of reports to Legislative Assembly  
   24A.    Response by Minister to report on competitive neutrality complaint  
   24B.    Correction of errors in reports  

   PART 4B--VARIATION OF PRICE DIRECTIONS

           Division 4B--.1 Consent variations

   24C.    Consent variations  

           Division 4B--.2 Nonconsent variations

   24D.    Reference by referring authority  
   24E.    Reference by utility  
   24F.    Commission-initiated variation  
   24G.    Permissible nonconsent variations  
   24H.    Procedure for nonconsent price variation investigation  
   24I.    Effect of nonconsent price variations  

   PART 4C--REVIEW OF PRICE DIRECTIONS

   24J.    Definitions—pt 4C  
   24K.    Right of review  
   24KA.   Grounds for review  
   24L.    Who are the parties to a review?  
   24M.    Industry panel  
   24MA.   Application for review—preliminary assessment  
   24N.    Nature of review  
   24O.    Procedure for review  
   24OA.   Application for review—commission's response  
   24P.    Referral of matters to commission  
   24Q.    Witnesses and evidence  
   24R.    Frivolous or vexatious applications  
   24S.    Implementation of price direction under review  
   24T.    Effect of decision  
   24U.    Functions of commission  
   24V.    Costs  
   24W.    Protection from liability of panel members, parties and  
   24X.    Information to be given to commission following price direction review  

   PART 5--ACCESS AGREEMENTS

   25.     Notice of access agreements  
   26.     Registration of access agreements  
   27.     Investigations into access agreements  
   28.     Failure to notify proposals and agreements  
   29.     Register of agreements  

   PART 6--ARBITRATION OF ACCESS REGIME DISPUTES

   30.     Definitions—pt 6  
   31.     Application—pt 6  
   32.     Access disputes  
   33.     Arbitrator—appointment and functions  
   34.     Draft determinations  
   35.     Arbitration determinations  
   36.     Effect of determinations  
   37.     Termination of arbitration by parties  
   38.     Termination of arbitration by arbitrator  
   39.     Variation of determinations  
   40.     Arbitration procedure—Commercial Arbitration Act  

   PART 7--INFORMATION

   41.     Provision of information to commission  
   42.     Restrictions on publication  
   43.     Inspection of documents  
   44.     Confidential information—disclosure by commissioners and staff  
   45.     Confidential information—notice of proposed disclosure  
   46.     Confidential information—general disclosure  
   47.     Confidential information—disclosure within the commission  
   48.     Cabinet and Executive documents  

   PART 8--COOPERATION WITH COMMISSION

   49.     Requirement to attend hearing and answer questions  
   50.     Application of Criminal Code, ch 7  
   50A.    Witnesses etc protected from civil liability  

   PART 9--ENFORCEMENT OF PRICE DIRECTIONS AND ARBITRATION DETERMINATIONS

   51.     Meaning of direction in pt 9  
   52.     Application of pt 9  
   53.     Orders  
   54.     Injunctions and declarations  

   PART 9A--ENFORCEMENT OF CIVIL PENALTY PROVISIONS

           Division 9A--.1 Preliminary

   54A.    Definitions—pt 9A  
   54B.    Part does not limit other powers of court  

           Division 9A--.2 Enforceable undertakings

   54C.    Enforceable undertakings  
   54D.    Application for enforcement of undertakings  

           Division 9A--.3 Civil penalty notices

   54E.    Service of civil penalty notice  
   54F.    Contents of civil penalty notice  
   54G.    Amount payable under civil penalty notice  
   54H.    Time for payment of amount  
   54I.    Effect of payment of amount  
   54J.    Withdrawal of civil penalty notice  
   54K.    Conduct contravening multiple civil penalty provisions  
   54L.    Effect of civil penalty notice on enforcement order proceeding  

           Division 9A--.4 Enforcement orders

   54M.    Application for enforcement order  
   54N.    Deciding civil penalty for enforcement order  
   54O.    Enforcement order proceeding is civil proceeding  
   54P.    Proceedings may be heard together  
   54Q.    Civil proceeding after criminal proceeding  
   54R.    Criminal proceeding during civil proceeding  
   54S.    Criminal proceeding after civil proceeding  
   54T.    Evidence given in civil proceeding not admissible in criminal  
   54U.    Conduct contravening multiple civil penalty provisions  
   54V.    Multiple contraventions  

           Division 9A--.5 Injunctions

   54W.    Application for injunction  
   54X.    Discharging or varying injunctions  

           Division 9A--.6 Other provisions about liability

   54Y.    Meaning of evidential burden—div 9A.6  
   54Z.    Ancillary contraventions  
   54ZA.   State of mind  
   54ZB.   Mistake of fact  
   54ZC.   Burden of proof for exceptions etc  
   54ZD.   Extended liability of corporations  
   54ZE.   Limited liability of individuals  

   PART 10--MISCELLANEOUS

   54ZF.   Exercise of enforcement functions under Utilities Act 2000  
   55.     Acts and omissions of representatives  
   56.     Service of documents  
   57.     Approved forms  
   58.     Regulation-making power  
           SCHEDULE 1
           SCHEDULE 2
           SCHEDULE 3
           SCHEDULE 4
           SCHEDULE 5
           DICTIONARY
           ENDNOTES