ESA (Vic) 2014 Professional Development Seminar #16 - Margaret Arblaster 'Light-handed regulation of airports: lessons from experience in Australia and New Zealand'

The topic

The costs and difficulties experienced with traditional forms of economic regulation of airports involving direct control of prices have led to an interest in light-handed regulatory frameworks. The design features of light-handed regulation in Australia and New Zealand in relation to the stated objectives associated with the introduction of light-handed regulation will be examined. Key stated objectives are reducing the degree of intrusion in industry decision making, lowering administrative and compliance costs and at the same time promoting economically efficient airport performance and providing a restraint on market power. Important aspects associated with the design of light-handed regulation include the incorporation of a credible threat of stronger regulation and the apparent trade-off in objectives associated with different approaches to light-handed regulation.

The speaker

Margaret Arblaster is an independent researcher specializing in transport infrastructure regulation and a lecturer in Transport Economics at the Institute of Transport Studies, Monash University. Margaret has also provided consulting services to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and the Victorian Government Department of Transport.

Margaret was a senior manager at the ACCC for over 14 years including 11 years in the role of General Manager of Transport and Prices Oversight. In this role Margaret had managerial responsibility for the administration of a wide variety of regulatory arrangements covering transport infrastructure and some other industries. In relation to airports, Margaret’s experience has included management of the regulatory arrangements associated with the privatization of airports, price caps on airports services, price and quality of service monitoring, airport access arrangements and project leader for a public inquiry into the Federal Airports Corporation prior to privatisation.