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Rod SimsAO
Sims speaks at a Melbourne Press Club lunch in 2019.
Chairman of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission
In office 1 August 2011 – 20 March 2022
Preceded by	Graeme Samuel
Succeeded by	Gina Cass-Gottlieb
Personal details
Born	Rodney Graham Sims 1950 Lorne, Victoria, Australia
Residence	Vaucluse, New South Wales
Alma mater	B.Com (Hons), University of Melbourne M.Ec, Australian National University
Profession	Economist, government official

Rodney Graham Sims AO (born 1950) is an Australian economist and former public servant. Sims served as chair of the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC), Australia's competition regulator, from 1 August 2011 to 20 March 2022.

Described as "the most feared man in Australian business" by the Australian Financial Review, Sims was the longest serving ACCC chair in the agency's history. As chair of the ACCC, he was noted for having presided over scrutiny of "Big Tech" companies Google and Facebook.

Early life and education

Sims was born in Lorne, Victoria in 1950. His father, originally from Colac, ran a general store in Lorne, and died when Sims was 14. Sims' mother, originally from Birregurra, would then raise Sims and his three sisters.

Sims received a scholarship to attend university, and graduated with first class honours degree in Commerce from the University of Melbourne. Sims later went on to receive a Master of Economics degree from the Australian National University in Canberra.

Early career

Sims worked as a development economist in Papua New Guinea as well as for the Commonwealth Secretariat. He was also formerly a Deputy Secretary in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and in the Department of Transport.

Hawke Government

Sims held the position of chief economics advisor to Prime Minister Bob Hawke, having succeeded Ross Garnaut in this capacity. Despite his association with Hawke and his professional links with Thérèse Rein, spouse of former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Sims has indicated that he is not a "Labor man", stating:

"I’ve never been political in the sense that my interest is totally in public policy outcomes”

As Hawke's chief economics advisor , Sims accompanied Hawke at a state dinner at the White House hosted by U.S. President George H. W. Bush.

InfraCo Asia Development (IAD)

Sims has previously held roles with the InfraCo Asia Development (IAD) as a founding Non-Executive Director and as chairman, a position in held from May 2010 until June 2011. Sims has also held a directorship at Port Jackson Partners.

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC)

In May 2011, the Gillard Government announced the nomination of Sims to lead the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC). On 1 August 2011, Sims officially took office as ACCC chair, replacing Graeme Samuel. At the time of his appointment, many competition lawyers expected Sims to take a "tougher" line on anti-competitive conduct than his predecessor.

In 2013 and 2014, Sims' ACCC pushed supermarket companies Coles and Woolworths to limit the size and scope of so-called "shopper dockets" that were seen as undercutting small businesses. In 2020, Sims accused telco giant Telstra of exploiting Aboriginal Australian customers following reports of unfair selling practices; the ACCC would later secure a $50 million fine for Telstra over the company's conduct.

Sims retired as ACCC chairman on 22 March 2022. He was succeeded in the position by Gina Cass-Gottlieb.

Tech industry

Under Sims' leadership, the ACCC has launched lawsuits against both Google and Facebook over alleged misuse of user data. Following an agency review of Google and Facebook's impact on local journalism, the ACCC recommended the creation of a News Media Bargaining Code. Since its implementation, Sims has argued that it has proven "extremely successful" for Australian media companies, though he has criticized Facebook for failing to negotiate “in the right spirit” with media.

In a 2022 interview with The Information, Sims stated that he prefers "pro-competition rules" over proposals to break up so-called Big Tech companies through antitrust enforcement.

Post-ACCC career

In August 2023, Federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers appointed Sims to the Competition Taskforce Advisory Panel, which has been established to advise the Treasury on national competition policy.

Personal life and honours

Sims is a resident of Vaucluse, New South Wales, and stated in 2019 that he commutes to work every day of the week. In 2022, Sims was appointed as Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 2022 Australia Day Honours for distinguished service to public administration in economic policy and regulatory roles. Sims is an avid supporter of the Hawthorn Football Club and has stated that he does not use Facebook, but does have a Twitter account "to receive not send".

References

1. ^ "'The most feared man in Australian business'". Australian Financial Review. 29 September 2019. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
2. ^ Butler, Ben (18 December 2021). "'Look at that penalty': after taking on Google and Facebook, Rod Sims departs ACCC with a warning". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 24 July 2024.
3. "SIMS RAISED IN A WORKSHOP – VASA". Retrieved 15 February 2022.
4. Commission (11 September 2012). "ACCC Chair & Commissioners". Australian Competition & Consumer Commission. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
5. CP 511: Rodney Graham SIMS, National Archives of Australia, retrieved 19 January 2014
6. Treasurer unveils new corporate cops on beat The Age
7. Irvine, Jessica (22 November 2019). "'Rather be feared than loved': lunch with competition tsar Rod Sims". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
8. "Guests at White House Dinner for Australian Prime Minister". The New York Times. 28 June 1989. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
9. "Government Nominates Rod Sims as ACCC Chairman | Treasury Ministers". ministers.treasury.gov.au. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
10. InfraCo Asia Development announces Board changes
11. Real-world economists to head crucial corporate regulators The Australian
12. Beaton-Wells, Caron. "Will Rod Sims' tougher approach pay off for the ACCC?". The Conversation. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
13. "Sims to maintain the rage after ACCC term". MSN. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
14. "Australia's biggest telco fined over indigenous contracts". BBC News. 26 November 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
15. "Telstra Indigenous fine aims to grab 'attention'". Australian Financial Review. 20 June 2021. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
16. Gilbert + Tobin partner Gina Cass-Gottlieb appointed next Chair of ACCC Gilbert + Tobin 14 December 2021
17. Kemp, Katharine. "The ACCC is suing Google over tracking users. Here's why it matters". The Conversation. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
18. "Australia sues Facebook over user data, echoing U.S. antitrust case". The Economic Times. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
19. "LISTEN: Rod Sims on Australia's New Law to Rebalance Media Power". Centre for International Governance Innovation. 1 March 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
20. "Cracking the code • Margaret Simons". Inside Story. 25 October 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
21. "Don't Break Up Big Tech, Says Antitrust Enforcer Who Fought Facebook". The Information. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
22. "A more dynamic and competitive economy | Treasury Ministers". ministers.treasury.gov.au. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
23. "Appointments to Competition Taskforce Advisory Panel | Treasury Ministers". ministers.treasury.gov.au. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
24. "Australia Day 2022 Honours List". Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Entertainment. 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
25. "Sims to maintain the rage after ACCC term". MSN. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
26. "The Digital Platforms Inquiry: Melbourne Press Club speech". Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. 13 August 2019. Retrieved 15 February 2022.

External links

• Australian Competition and Consumer Commission: ACCC Chair and Commissioners, 11 September 2012
• Developing leaders, archived from the original on 3 May 2013

• Living people
• Australian public servants
• Australian National University alumni
• Officers of the Order of Australia
• University of Melbourne alumni
• 1950 births