Some complaints that may require further investigation are placed under assessment and
reviewed by senior enforcement and compliance staff. Review may result in a decision to take
no further action or to progress the matter to an initial investigation.
An initial investigation is the first stage of a detailed complaint assessment by Enforcement
Operations staff. An initial investigation may be further escalated to an in-depth investigation,
alternatively, it may be resolved administratively or the decision made to take no further
action. The most serious matters may become in-depth investigations. Although the ACCC
may decide to take no further action in relation to an in-depth investigation, these resourceintensive
cases may involve the use of the ACCC’s coercive investigative powers and may be
resolved with court-enforceable undertakings or infringement notices or by the institution
of proceedings.
The different investigative stages help ensure appropriate resource allocation and consistent
handling of matters, and balancing matters with regard to ACCC’s Compliance and
Enforcement Policy. Table 3.5 charts the number of matters created at each of these stages
in the financial year.