Submission to the NCC on the National Access Regime

CONTENTS

Preliminaries
Cover, Copyright, Contents, Abbreviations, Summary

1   Introduction

2   Declaration: the Assessment Criteria
2.1   Criterion a — the competition test
        2.1.1   ‘promote competition’
        2.1.2   ‘in at least one market other than the market for the service’
2.2   Criterion b — the natural monopoly test
        2.2.1   Rationale for mandating access
        2.2.2   Identifying natural monopoly
2.3     Criterion c — the national significance test
        2.3.1   Size of the facility
        2.3.2   Importance of the facility to constitutional trade or commerce
        2.3.3   Importance of the facility to the national economy
2.4   Criterion f — the public interest test

3   Certification and the NSW Gas Code
3.1   Clause 6(3)(a)(i)
        3.1.1   Is the NSW natural gas distribution network a natural monopoly?
3.2   Clause 6(3)(a)(ii)
        3.2.1   Effective competition
        3.2.2   Will competition be promoted in related markets?
        3.2.3   Upstream markets
        3.2.4   Downstream markets
3.3   Clause 6(4)(a) to (c)
        3.3.1   Negotiation and access to ‘essential’ infrastructure
        3.3.2   Regulated pricing of access
        3.3.3   The role of arbitration
        3.3.4   Regulated commercial negotiation and arbitration
        3.3.5   Other alternatives to regulated access prices

Appendix A   Will Negotiated Access Produce Efficient Pricing Outcomes?

References