Section 48 Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018

Section 48 of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018 is about Management ofthe work of the Tribunal. It is under Part VII (The Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal) of the Act.

(1) The Chairman of the Tribunal shall be responsible for the management and assignment of cases before the Tribunal to the other members of the Tribunal.

(2) For the purpose of subsection (1), members of the Tribunal shall be constituted into Panels of at least three members.

(3) Further to the provision of subsection (2), the Chairman shall ensure that at least one member of each Panel has requisite legal training, experience and good knowledge of competition and consumer protection matters.

(4) The Chairman shall designate a member to preside over proceedings of a Panel at any sitting.

(5) Where, as a result of withdrawal from a hearing for the reason stated in section 49 (2) of this Act or for any other reason, a member of a Panel is unable to complete the proceedings in a matter assigned to that Panel, the Chairman shall-

(a) direct that the hearing of that matter proceed before the remaining members of the Panel, subject to the requirements of subsection ( 4 ), or

(b) terminate the proceedings before that Panel and constitute another Panel, which may include any member of the original Panel and direct that panel to conduct a new hearing.

(6) The decision of a Panel on a matter referred to it shall be in writing and include reasons for that decision.

(7) The Tribunal may extend or reduce a period prescribed for the taking or doing of any action required to be done under this Part.

(8) A decision of a Panel contemplated in subsection (6) or of a majority of the members of a Panel shall be the decision of the Tribunal.