Abstract

Several countries that legislated against anti-competitive market practices after World War II required firms register any restrictive agreements. The Australian Trade Practices Act 1965 that established such a Register took many years to come into existence. Its final form was greatly weakened from its original version. Nonetheless, over 14 000 agreements were recorded in its seven year life. This article examines factors behind the formation of the Register, the forces that weakened its operation, the Parliamentary debates that occurred during its passage and why, in hindsight, it is viewed as a critical step in Australia's evolution to a more competitive economy.