news Federal Government agencies including the Treasury and the Productivity Commission are further discussing the issue of Australian price hikes by companies including technology suppliers, Labor MP Ed Husic revealed in Parliament last night.

Over the past few months, Husic has stepped up his campaign on price hikes by technology suppliers importing goods into Australia, singling out companies such as Apple, Adobe, Lenovo and Microsoft with respect to the issue and raising it with other parliamentary colleagues. The issue was also highlighted by the Productivity Commission in its recent draft report into the nation’s retail sector.

Speaking in Parliament last night, Husic took the issue further, noting he had discussed the issue with the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer, David Bradbury (the full text of a letter sent by Husic to Bradbury is available online).

“He advises that Treasury officials have met with the Productivity Commission to discuss issues relating to price discrimination,” said Husic. “The Commission is now further examining this issue as it prepares to bring down the final draft of its review into the economic structure and performance of the Australian retail industry and, most importantly, the Commission will welcome further submissions from the public on the impact of IT price discrimination on them, which can be emailed to retail@pc.gov.au”.

Husic urged technology suppliers — who, he said had been “notoriously slow or reluctant to deal with this issue transparently or publicly — to make a submission to the Productivity Commission as well. “These firms need to explain why they charge Australian consumers and businesses in a way that they would never dream of doing in their home markets,” the Labor MP said.

Husic added that since he had started raising the issue in public, a number of Australians had come forward with more information about their experiences with the price hikes.

Adobe and Microsoft have stated that much Australian pricing for their products was actually set by the local distribution channel. However, Husic said he had been contacted by a channel representative to provide the other side of the story. “The big tech companies tend to blame retailers or distributors, but I actually got an email from an IT sales and repair business in Sydney,” said Husic.

The email from the Sydney business stated:

“I agree with you about Australian companies charging more than the parent companies in overseas locations for the same goods. This is a constant gripe. We are constantly getting told by customers what their buy prices are for the same goods purchased overseas.”

“We are constantly sending this information thru to the sales managers and product managers say, say Canon and HP here in Australia — bugger all response — or some waffle about company confidential and trade practices act.”

Husic said the channel representative was scared to speak up on the issue, because they believed their company would be placed at a disadvantage from suppliers who would play favourites on the issue. “If this is true, it is an exceptionally serious claim,” he said.

In another example, Husic said he had been contacted by local post-production audiovisual company Famous By Tuesday which had been charged $12,000 more for buying Autodesk’s Smoke editing system through Digistor Australia, compared with prices in the US. “When [Famous By Tuesday staffer David Barrett] got the bill he was stunned to see that the package did not cost $25,000; it cost $37,000. This was a $12,000 difference at a time when the Australian dollar was valued at US94c — simply breathtaking,” said Husic.

Husic noted he would be continuing his campaign on the issue. “This is the fourth time I have raised this matter,” he said. “I think Australian consumers are shouldering an unfair pricing burden. And the tech company justification for this practice has either been non-existent or flaky.”

Tweet

1. Anonymous
   Posted 22/09/2011 at 4:14 pm | Permalink | Reply

   It’s sad, but in the end, people will just buy stuff from overseas. Retailers in Australia will suffer in the long run.

   • Eddie.
     Posted 23/09/2011 at 12:25 am | Permalink | Reply

     Yes it is sad Jim,but the price for a certain Radio on Sony Australian web site was $299.On USA site,same Radio $159.Guess where I arranged to but it from.

2. Danielsanderson38
   Posted 22/09/2011 at 6:21 pm | Permalink | Reply

   they need 2 start a name and shame register. companys have gotten away with it 2 long like acer, cannon , sony and toshiba , if was 2 setup a name and shame register i would get sued . the goverment needs to step up and stick up for the people who pay there wages

3. Digistor
   Posted 23/09/2011 at 10:52 am | Permalink | Reply

   As a reseller of Autodesk, Adobe and other products in Australia we are also being affected by the high local prices as consumers resort to purchasing from sources outside of Australia even if this contravenes licensing agreements in some cases. Many Technology Companies, including Autodesk and Adobe, set the local RRP here and local reseller margins are derived from this. We strive to provide the best value and most competitive local pricing that’s possible but in many cases are unable to match offshore pricing based on the local pricing available to us.

   We have raised the issue stridently with many of our main Technology suppliers on a number of occasions and feel the disparity is disadvantaging our customers, the local industry and ourselves. It damages our reputation with our clients and we also want to see the issue corrected.

   Andrew – Digistor Pty Ltd

• • Topic
  • Voices
  • Posts
  • Freshness
• • Malcolm Turnbull, Time Traveller

    Started by:  quink in: Everything else

  • 2
  • 4
  • 2 days, 14 hours ago

     Karl

  • Article on 'Ultraviolet'

    Started by:  ray73864 in: Everything else

  • 2
  • 2
  • 5 days, 10 hours ago

     Karl

  • Surface sells out … of its tiny amount of stock?

    Started by:  Renai LeMay in: Gadgets

  • 4
  • 4
  • 6 days, 12 hours ago

     douglasrose

  • Coalition fraudband plan summary…

    Started by:  Hubert Cumberdale in: National Broadband Network

  • 4
  • 4
  • 1 week, 4 days ago

     JamesH1

  • NBN Is A Question Of Reliability

    Started by:  JamesH1 in: National Broadband Network

  • 1
  • 1
  • 1 week, 4 days ago

     JamesH1

  • Renai asked:

    Started by:  Tinman_au in: National Broadband Network

  • 1
  • 1
  • 1 week, 4 days ago

     Tinman_au

  • What Happened to Whirlpool posts

    Started by:  MikeK101 in: Everything else

  • 2
  • 2
  • 3 weeks, 4 days ago

     Bob.H

  • Conroy/Turnbull NBN Debate Next Week

    Started by:  zephram in: National Broadband Network

  • 1
  • 1
  • 3 weeks, 4 days ago

     zephram

  • Blocked from posting? Let me know

    Started by:  Renai LeMay in: Everything else

  • 2
  • 2
  • 3 weeks, 6 days ago

     Abel Adamski

  • Falsehoods of the day

    Started by:  Karl in: National Broadband Network

  • 4
  • 5
  • 1 month, 1 week ago

     Anonymous

  • Is IBM selling its Network Services Division to Telstra?

    Started by:  Renai LeMay in: Everything else

  • 1
  • 1
  • 1 month, 2 weeks ago

     Renai LeMay

  • 10 Terabit NBN plan? Yes please :)

    Started by:  daniel996 in: National Broadband Network

  • 2
  • 2
  • 1 month, 2 weeks ago

     Karl

  • Renai (or anyone else?): List of working tags?

    Started by:  Tinman_au in: Everything else

  • 3
  • 6
  • 1 month, 4 weeks ago

     midspace

  • Receiving spam from "OEMSoftware Newsletter"?

    Started by:  Renai LeMay in: Everything else

  • 4
  • 4
  • 1 month, 4 weeks ago

     midspace

  • A brief update on banned users

    Started by:  Renai LeMay in: Everything else

  • 6
  • 9
  • 2 months ago

     Autocrat

•