Efficient and effective regulation in dealing with oligopolistic behaviour

As former Competition Policy Minister and now as Independent Reviewer of the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct, Dr Emerson will speak on the prevalence of oligopolies in Australia and the role and limits of government regulation dealing with oligopolies.

About Dr Emerson:

Dr Craig Emerson is an eminent economist with 40 years’ experience in public policy, politics and public service. He is Managing Director of Emerson Economics Pty Ltd. He is Director of the APEC Study Centre at RMIT University, a Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University, a member of the Trade Minister’s Trade 2040 Taskforce, Adjunct Professor at Victoria University’s Centre of Policy Studies and a columnist with the Australian Financial Review.

Dr Emerson was Australia’s Minister for Trade and Competitiveness from 2010 to 2013. Prior to that he was Minister for Small Business and Minister for Competition Policy and Consumer Affairs.

Dr Emerson is also a former Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Science and Research and Chair of the Productivity Committee of Cabinet.

In 2021, Dr Emerson was appointed to an Expert Panel supporting the Deregulation Taskforce in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. In 2023, Dr Emerson was appointed Independent Reviewer of the Payment Times Reporting Scheme.

In 2024, Dr Emerson was appointed Independent Reviewer of the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct.

Dr Emerson was economic, trade and environmental adviser to Prime Minister Bob Hawke in the 1980s. He has also held the positions of Assistant Secretary in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Director-General of the Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage and Policy Analyst at the United Nations in Bangkok.

Dr Emerson has a PhD in Economics from the Australian National University. 

Lunch is provided from 12 noon.