Rex Patrick (SA, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

What representation do the small guys get in relation to this? What is the process for all of the regional players who are not making headway with Google or who feel dissatisfied? Remember, the point of this legislation, as originated from the ACCC, was to address a concern about an imbalance. That imbalance will still exist if the companies are not designated, so the regional players will sit down with Google and Facebook and get nowhere. The ACCC says that's exactly what will happen.

What about the small guys—some of the smaller players who are confronting this monopoly, as described by Mr Sims of the ACCC? If you do not designate these larger companies, there is no mechanism for arbitration for them. My question is: how do the smaller players get access to the minister to be able to make representations to say, 'This threshold has been met,' because the small guys have effectively been mistreated and been subject to the very large corporations that Google and Facebook are?