Quay Law Partners

Antitrust and competition; Tech, media and telecommunications, particularly antitrust and competition issues related to those sectors; Disputes and investigations; and Foreign investment

Partner

Dave specialises in competition law and has over 25 years’ experience in Australia including managing significant M&A clearances as well as clearances for joint ventures and alliances.  Dave has also acted in major antitrust and consumer protection litigation.  He has worked on infrastructure access and regulatory matters, as well as advising on competition agency investigations and cartel matters.

Dave is a previous Chair of the Law Council of Australia, Competition & Consumer Committee and is a past Co-chair of the International Bar Association Antitrust Committee and remains on its Advisory Board.

Daves’s experience includes advising in relation to the following:

Mergers and acquisitions:

Bunnings on various acquisitions in the hardware, home improvement and outdoor leisure sector including the acquisitions of Adelaide Tools and Beaumont Tiles in 2021 BGC in its acquisition of Midland Brick in 2020/2021 Acting for AMA Group in its purchase from SunCorp of Capital SMART Smash repair business and ACM Parts for A$440m in 2019 Oracle Corporation A$1.6 billion acquisition of Aconex Limited in 2018 Allied Mills on its A$455 million sale to Pacific Equity Partners by Graincorp and Cargill in 2017 Cristal in obtaining an unconditional ACCC clearance in its US$1.673 billion titanium dioxide merger with Tronox GE on its US$3.415 billion sale of Water to Suez in 2017 GE on its US$32 billion creation of an oil and gas business with Baker Hughes in 2017 GE on the Australian aspects of its US$17 billion acquisition of Alstom’s energy assets GE on the Australian antitrust aspects of its US$1 billion acquisition of Thermo Fisher’s cell culture business in Australia Shell on its A$343 million sale of its Australian aviation fuels unit to Viva Energy in December 2016 Shell on the antitrust aspects of the A$2.9 billion sale of its downstream business in Australia ICAP plc in relation to Tullett Prebon’s A$1.5 billion acquisition of its global voice hybrid broking business in 2016 Sumitomo on its acquisition of a A$1 billion / 51% interest with Glencore in the Clermont Coal Mine Mondelez on its A$460 million sale of its Vegemite and cheese business to Bega Cheese in 2017

Regulatory investigations:

antitrust and consumer protection litigation in the Federal Court and High Court of Australia regulatory investigations including relating to civil and criminal cartel investigations and misuse of market power acting for stakeholders in Senate and ACCC inquiries.

Joint ventures, alliances and access matters:

Glencore on its application for the declaration of the channel at the Port of Newcastle Emirates on its partnership with Qantas and the associated authorisations and regulatory approvals processes on a global basis Port Waratah Coal Terminal on the authorisation of its long term infrastructure arrangements at the Port of Newcastle Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal on various port infrastructure authorisations Chi-X on competition and access issues associated with the establishment of its securities exchange in Australia.

Dave is ranked in:

“Hall of Fame” for Asia Pacific – The Legal 500 Chambers & Partners – Asia Pacific – Band 2 in Antitrust in Australia Who’s Who nominated Antitrust experts in Australia Best Lawyers in Australia Doyle’s Guide for Competition lawyers in Australia. Dave was previously included in Global Competition Review’s Global 40 under 40.

English

Law Council of Australia, Competition & Consumer Committee (Dave is a past Chair of that Committee)

Advisory Board of the International Bar Association Antitrust Committee (Dave is a past Co-Chair of that Committee)

Bachelor of Laws (Hons), Adelaide University

Bachelor of Economics, Adelaide University