As society becomes increasingly datafied and platformised, regulators the world over are keen to address unequal bargaining power, and to promote fairer, healthier digital spaces. Australia’s News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code (NMBC) was one of the first attempts to query the fundamental business model of news media, and it inspired other governments to tackle gatekeepers and structural imbalances. Within the Asia-Pacific region, South Korea and China have launched antitrust investigations across industries. The European Union put forward the Digital Services Act (DSA) and Digital Markets Act (DMA), proposing ex ante regulatory tools that go beyond traditional (ex post) competition/antitrust law. This panel brings together experts from Australia, the European Commission, Korea and China to discuss diverse regulatory approaches, and their implications for innovation and consumer welfare, and the future of digital platforms. 

Speakers: 

Karen Melchior, European Parliament Member 

Malavika Jayaram, Digital Asia Hub (Co-host) 

Professor Haksoo Ko, Seoul National University School of Law  

Dev Lewis, Digital Asia Hub (Co-host) 

Associate Professor James Meese, RMIT University 

Professor Haiqing Yu, RMIT University