Mick Keogh appointed to take over ACCC small business role

There will soon be a changing of the guard at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, with current ACCC Commissioner Mick Keogh set to take over responsibility for the small business sector from Dr Michael Schaper at the end of the May.

Schaper has served as a Deputy Chair of the ACCC since July 2008, focusing on small business and franchising.

His tenure at the ACCC will conclude on May 30, at which time Keogh will take up the appointment as Deputy Chair.

Keogh has been an ACCC Commissioner since 2013 and currently leads the regulator’s work in the agriculture sector. This will continue during his new role, which will also involve overseeing the small business space.

“Mick’s vast experience working with small businesses in the agriculture sector will greatly assist him in his new role working with small business right across the economy,” ACCC chair Rod Sims said in a statement.

Treasurer Scott Morrison also praised Keogh’s small business credentials. He said in a statement on Thursday that Keogh has “a strong understanding of the competition issues affecting small businesses, particularly from his experience running a small business as the manager of a family beef cattle farm”.

ACCC Commissioners Cristina Cifuentes and Sarah Court have also been re-appointed to the Commission, and will serve for another five years.

During his time with the ACCC, Schaper has developed a strong reputation as a key advocate for small business, and has overseen a series of important reforms for the sector, including the introduction of the new Franchising Code of Conduct and new protections from unfair contract terms.

In a statement, Rod Sims said Schaper’s “passion, tenacity and advocacy” will be missed.

“Michael has been an essential and effective conduit between the ACCC and a large number of business organisations across Australia,” he said.

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