National access regime (2001)

Preliminaries
Cover, Copyright, Signing Page, Terms of reference, Contents, Key messages, Overview, Recommendations and findings

1   Introduction
1.1   The inquiry
1.2   The Commission’s approach
1.3   Inquiry processes
1.4   Structure of the report

2   Current access arrangements
2.1   Introduction
2.2   Part IIIA of the Trade Practices Act 1974
2.3   Industry-specific regimes
2.4   Use of Part IIIA
2.5   Part IIIA links with the rest of the Trade Practices Act
2.6   Overseas approaches

3   The rationale for access regulation
3.1   Some regulatory assessment principles
3.2   What is the problem?
3.3   Significance of the problem
3.4   Summing up

4   The costs of access regulation
4.1   Compliance and administrative costs
4.2   Constraints on efficient pricing and service delivery
4.3   Disincentives for investment
4.4   Incentives for strategic behaviour
4.5   Regulatory failure
4.6   Setting the costs against the benefits

5   Access regulation in the broader policy context
5.1   Comparing policy instruments
5.2   Structural separation
5.3   Price control
5.4   Reliance on general competitive conduct rules
5.5 Is there any need for a change in the policy balance?
5.6   Generic or industry-specific access regulation?

6   Objectives and coverage of Part IIIA
6.1   Specifying the objectives of access
6.2   The objectives of Part IIIA
6.3   An objects clause for Part IIIA
6.4   The need for pricing principles in Part IIIA
6.5 Integrated and non-integrated bottleneck facilities
6.6   Natural monopolies or market power?
6.7   Other coverage matters

7   Declaration
7.1   The Commission’s approach
7.2   Participants’ initial views on the declaration criteria
7.3   The Position Paper proposals
7.4   Participants’ views on the Position Paper proposals
7.5 Assessment and recommendations
7.6   Price monitoring as an alternative to declaration

8   Negotiation and Arbitration
8.1   Encouraging negotiated outcomes
8.2   Improving the arbitration provisions
8.3   Multilateral access negotiations

9   Certification
9.1   Effective regimes
9.2   Criteria for certification
9.3   Modifications to the Clause 6 principles
9.4   Post-declaration undertakings

10   Undertakings
10.1   Post-declaration undertakings
10.2   The assessment criteria for undertakings
10.3   Non-owner undertakings
10.4   Dual coverage and ‘forum shopping’

11   Facilitating efficient investment
11.1   The need for new measures
11.2   The Position Paper approach
11.3   Participants’ responses
11.4   How do the various approaches measure up?
11.5 The way ahead

12   Pricing principles for Part IIIA
12.1   What should pricing principles seek to achieve?
12.2   Responses to the Position Paper’s pricing principles
12.3   The Commission’s recommended pricing principles
12.4   From principles to practice

13   Capital cost issues
13.1   The rate of return
13.2   Asset valuation

14   Institutional arrangements
14.1   The role of Ministers
14.2   Who should administer Part IIIA?

15   Procedural and administrative matters
15.1   Appeal arrangements
15.2   Time limits on Part IIIA decision making
15.3   Transparency issues
15.4   Other matters

16   Implimentation issues
16.1   Implications for Clause 6
16.2   Implications for industry-specific access regimes
16.3   Some generic implementation issues

A   Public consultation

B   Industry-specific access regimes

C   International approaches and experiences

D   Significant access cases

References