The federal government has promised to introduce stronger measures to protect businesses from harm on digital platforms, following an inquiry by the competition watchdog, the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC).
 
In its report, the ACCC said “Australian consumers and small businesses often find it hard to achieve quick and easy resolution of complaints and disputes with digital platforms” – and the government has now confirmed it agrees with this finding.
 
Therefore, the government said it would consider options to improve the dispute resolution processes available to users of digital platforms. As a first step, the government has called on members of the digital platforms industry to develop voluntary internal dispute resolution standards by July 2024.
 
The ACCC welcomed the government’s announcement, noting that small businesses are often subject to “unfair and arbitrary treatment” by platforms like Google, Apple, Meta, Microsoft and Amazon.
 
“The proposed reforms will ensure fairer and more transparent treatment of small and medium-sized businesses, allowing Australians to fully realise the benefits of participating in the digital economy,” acting chair Catriona Lowe said.
 
“By promoting competition in these markets, the reforms will also provide consumers more choice, higher quality services, and fairer terms and conditions.”
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