The Food and Grocery Code of Conduct (the Code) is prescribed under the Competition and Consumer (Industry Codes‑Food and Grocery) Regulation 2015.
In accordance with section 5 of the Regulations, the Treasury will review the operation of the dispute resolution provisions in Part 5 of the Code.
The review will consider:
- The effectiveness of the provisions in Part 5 of the Code in meeting its purpose of providing an effective, fair and equitable dispute resolution process for raising and investigation of complaints and resolving disputes arising between retailers or wholesalers and suppliers
- Any barriers that may be preventing suppliers from fully utilising the dispute resolution arrangements in Part 5 of the Code
- If appropriate, options or alternative approaches for improving the dispute resolution provisions in Part 5 of the Code
Review process
Treasury will prepare a review report by 30 April 2023 for consideration by the Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury. The report will include findings and any recommendations based on the evidence received during the review process, in response to the terms of reference.
The review will include the release of a consultation paper to seek public submissions and targeted consultations with key stakeholders (including the Code signatories, industry representative bodies, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and other agencies). The consultation paper is expected to be released later in 2022, with submissions open until early 2023.
Non‑confidential submissions will be published on the Treasury consultation website.