Newcastle Coal Port System Under Threat
Australia’s system for rationing shipping berths at Newcastle must now stop unless the New South Wales state government steps in to protect it from anti-trust action. According to Reuters, Graeme Samuel, chairman of Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, made the comment after withdrawing anti-trust immunity for the system, which was originally devised as an interim step toward a more competitive long-term solution. “The interim, transitional measure has been running for five years now. We no longer think this (the immunity) is in the public interest. I expect the queue management system will go into suspension for a period of time, until the government spells out what it wants to do,” Samuel said.