$1m fine for Mackay company’s cartel behaviour
A north Queensland crane company has been hit with a $1 million bill from the Federal Court for operating as a cartel.
NQ Cranes was fined $1 million
NQ Cranes, based in Mackay, was found to have entered into the cartel agreement with a competitor in proceedings brought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
The agreement was to share the market by not targeting each other’s customers for overhead crane parts and servicing in Brisbane and Newcastle.
The other party in the agreement was not named.
NQ Cranes admitted it had contravened the Competition and Consumer Act through a written agreement it had with a competitor which ACCC commissioner Liza Carver said was clearly anti-competitive and had the potential to limit service options.
