On 21 August 2026, the ACCC issued a draft determination proposing not to authorise the Council of Mayors (South East Queensland) Pty Ltd and 11 of its member councils in South East Queensland (SEQ) to:
- aggregate residual waste
- develop up to 3 regional waste facilities within SEQ to process waste.
Authorisation is sought for 35 years to cover planning, construction and operational life of the facilities.
The ACCC considers that:
- due to uncertainties on the proposed conduct, the magnitude of public benefits is limited and uncertain
- public detriment is likely by materially reducing the contestability of a substantial volume of residual waste in SEQ for a long period. This is likely to increase barriers to entry and reduce future competitive options.
Therefore, the ACCC is not satisfied that the likely public benefit arising from this conduct would outweigh the likely public detriment.
The ACCC is now seeking submissions in response to the draft determination by 4 September 2026, before making its final decision. More details about the application and how to make a submission are on the ACCC’s public register at: Council of Mayors (South East Queensland) Pty Ltd | ACCC
