9 February 2021 (Original script, may differ from delivered version)
It is an honour to be joining you all, virtually, to give the Bannerman Competition Lecture.
In his time, Ron Bannerman was a pioneer and a forward-thinker. It seems self-evident now that the business cartels he confronted caused harm to Australian consumers and the economy. But his work over 2 decades to cut back at what he later described as the ‘astonishing web of restrictions’ [footnote 1] across Australian industry was conducted in the face of considerable resistance and antagonism. His commitment and persistence were crucial to the development of the strong culture of fair and open competition that now prevails in Australia.