About Us

The Independent Competition and Regulatory Commission (the Commission) is a statutory body set up to regulate prices, access to infrastructure services and other matters in relation to regulated industries and to investigate competitive neutrality complaints and government-regulated activities. The Commission also has responsibility for licensing utility services and ensuring compliance with licence conditions.

The Commission's objectives are defined in two principal Acts:

• Independent Competition & Regulatory Commission Act 1997
• Utilities Act 2000

Under the Independent Competition and Regulatory Commission Act 1997, the Commission is responsible to the Attorney General for administrative matters such as the management and reporting of its human, physical and financial resources. It is also subject to the accountability mechanisms of the Legislative Assembly.

For the purposes of the Utilities Act 2000, the Commission is responsible to the Minister for the Environment, Climate Change and Water.

The Commission is not subject to the direction or control of the Minister or any other referring authority in relation to any investigation, price direction, report, access agreement or arbitration, except where provided by the Independent Competition and Regulatory Commission Act 1997 or another law of the Territory.

The Commission is required by the Independent Competition and Regulatory Commission Act 1997 to consider a wide range of issues in determining its views. Importantly, section 20 of the Act sets out a number of matters which the Commission must have regard to when making a price direction. While many of the matters are financial and economic in nature, there is a strong emphasis on consumer protection, and on social and environmental impacts.  Matters about which the Commission must have regard include:

• the protection of consumers from abuses of monopoly power in relation to both prices and standards of service
• standards of quality, reliability and safety of services
• the principles of ecologically sustainable development, and 
• social impacts of decisions

Both the Independent Competition and Regulatory Commission Act 1997 and the Utilities Act 2000, require the Commission to consider such issues in its assessment of the public interest.

The ICRC office is located at: Level 2, 12 Moore Street, Canberra City ACT 2601.

The postal address is: GPO Box 296, Canberra City ACT 2601.

The ICRC contact details are: telephone number (02) 6205 0799; facsimile number: (02) 6207 5887; and email: icrc@act.gov.au

For information on current issues please go to the What's New page.