Papers regarding the ACCC's investigation into the Wholesale Draught Beer market

Written by Claude Haiku 5.5 from the extracted text on 21 Oct 2026. It can miss or misread redacted and scanned pages. Check the source before relying on it.

The release is an ACCC Enforcement Committee paper dated 3 March 2016 (EC1516/171) on its investigation into the wholesale draught beer market, opened in August 2013. It alleges that Carlton and United Breweries (CUB) and Lion, Australia's two largest brewers, used exclusive dealing and related contract terms with venues such as pubs and sporting venues, including tap tying, category exclusivity, minimum volume commitments, volume rebates and infrastructure incentives, which may have foreclosed small brewers under sections 45 and 47 of the Competition and Consumer Act. After interviewing 36 venues and reviewing section 155 contract material, the team found the evidence did not support a current substantial lessening of competition, citing consumer demand and the modest share of craft beer sales (under 12%). The recommended option was to discontinue the investigation, warn CUB and Lion of future risk, and monitor industry developments. Other material includes committee history, investigation methods, and a reference to a separate abuse of dominance matter resolved in October 2015.