Merger Control

Overview

With a Band 1 ranking in Chambers Asia-Pacific and recognition across leading directories, our team of leading experts are here to help you secure the necessary approvals, manage risks, and achieve your business goals.

Whether your transaction is domestic or cross-border, we provide clear, practical advice to guide you through the process. We are a trusted referral partner to international law firms, chosen for our independence, commercial focus, and proven ability to deliver results on complex, high-stakes matters for global market leaders.

We are at the forefront of Australia’s evolving merger control landscape, including the new regime overseen by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. Our team combines deep technical expertise with practical insight into ACCC processes and decision-making, allowing us to navigate approvals efficiently and secure clear, commercially workable outcomes.

Keep across these changes and what they mean for your business and deal pipeline on our one-stop merger regime hub.

Merger Regime Hub

Recognition

Band 1 in Competition & Anti-Trust, Chambers Asia-Pacific
Tier 1 in Competition & Trade, Legal 500
Elite in Global Competition Review
Band 2 in Corporate M&A, Chambers Asia-Pacific

Experience

Advising Wiz on Google's US$32 billion acquisition, one of the first deals cleared under Australia's new mandatory merger regime

We acted for Wiz, a global cloud and cybersecurity business, on the Australian merger control aspects of its sale to Google LLC for US$32 billion. The transaction was Google's largest ever acquisition and one of the most significant global deals of the year. Critically, it required navigating Australia's new mandatory and suspensory merger regime, which came into effect on 1 January 2026, making this one of the first long-form cross-border transactions to be assessed under the new framework. The deal spanned engagement with competition authorities across Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Israel, South Africa, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye. Our team worked closely with Wiz and its international counsel to secure a successful outcome, with the ACCC approving the transaction following a Phase 1 review. The result allowed Wiz to join Google Cloud and enhance its cybersecurity capabilities while preserving its multicloud functionality.

Securing ACCC clearance with remedies for Wallenius Wilhelmsen's sale of the MIRRAT terminal to Qube

We acted for Wallenius Wilhelmsen ASA on the AUD$332.5 million sale of Melbourne International RoRo & Auto Terminal (MIRRAT), the sole automotive RoRo terminal at Webb Dock West, Port of Melbourne, to Qube Holdings Limited. The ACCC raised preliminary concerns about vertical foreclosure, given Qube's existing downstream interests in automotive stevedoring and pre-delivery inspection services across multiple east coast ports. Clearance was granted in April 2025, subject to a section 87B undertaking requiring open access across all four east coast terminals and preventing discriminatory conduct towards rival operators. The ACCC Chair publicly acknowledged the regulator is "not generally supportive of long-term behavioural undertakings" but accepted one here given the particular circumstances. Our team advised throughout on the competition analysis, undertaking negotiations, and engagement with the ACCC.

Securing Phase 2 clearance with remedies for Dye & Durham's takeover of Link Administration Holdings

We acted for Dye & Durham, a Canadian software and technology company, on its proposed takeover of ASX-listed Link Administration Holdings Limited and its minority interest in the electronic conveyancing platform PEXA, one of the biggest deals in Australia in 2022. The transaction required a Phase 2 ACCC clearance, secured with remedies, and involved navigating both minority shareholding and vertical theories of harm. Our team worked within a tight scheme timetable to negotiate ACCC clearance while addressing the ACCC's concerns. This matter demonstrates our capability in managing complex structural remedies and vertical integration concerns in high-value, time-sensitive Australian public M&A transactions.

More experience

Wiz — acting for Wiz in Google's US$32 billion acquisition of Wiz
Figma — advised Figma in relation to Adobe's US$20 billion acquisition of Figma
Infosys (NSE: INFY) — advising on its acquisition of The Missing Link
AMD — secured ACCC clearance for its US$4.9 billion acquisition of ZT Systems
Nuance Communications — represented Nuance in its US$19.7 billion sale to Microsoft
Singtel Optus — acted on its acquisition of Amaysim's mobile virtual network operator business
CyberArk — advising on its US$25 million sale to Palo Alto Networks
Slack Technologies — acting on its US$27.9 billion merger with Salesforce
Advanced Micro Devices Inc — represented AMD on its ~US$50 billion purchase of Xilinx Inc
Cerner Corporation — Australian counsel in its US$28.3 billion sale to Oracle
Amphenol Corporation — instructed on its US$10 billion acquisition of CommScope's Connectivity and Cable Solutions business
Dye & Durham — Phase 2 ACCC clearance with remedies for its proposed takeover of ASX-listed Link Administration Holdings Limited
Elluican — counsel for its takeover of Tribal, unconditionally cleared by the ACCC with no public review
Permira and Warburg Pincus — A$8.4 billion acquisition of Clearwater Analytics (waiver under the new regime)
Omnicom — secured ACCC clearance for its US$13.25 billion acquisition of Interpublic Group (IPG)

Mérieux NutriSciences — secured merger clearance for its €360 million acquisition of a 51% stake in Bureau Veritas' food testing business
Suzano — representing Suzano in Brazil on its proposed acquisition of a 51% stake in Kimberly-Clark International to form a US$3.4 billion joint venture
Anta Sports Products Limited — acting on its acquisition, from seller Artémis SAS, of a 29% strategic shareholding in Puma SE valued at €1.5 billion
Tapestry Inc — local competition counsel in its US$8.5 billion acquisition of Capri Holdings
Woolworths — multiple ACCC clearances, including the acquisition of 65% of PFD Food Services after a Phase 2 review, Cartology's acquisition of Shopper Media, the proposed sale (and subsequent sale) of its retail fuel business to BP and EG Australia, and increasing its stake in The Quantium Group Holdings in the $1.5 billion consumer data analytics market

Worldpay — counsel in its $24.5 billion acquisition by Global Payments
Flutter Entertainment PLC — acted for Flutter/Sportsbet on its merger with The Stars Group
London Stock Exchange Group plc — Australian counsel in its US$27 billion acquisition of Refinitiv
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co — representing on its acquisition of Australian assets as part of the Aon/Willis Towers remedies package

Ares Management — acting on its acquisition of the remaining 75% stake in Windlab, an Australian renewables developer
Brookfield — representing on the disposal of a 27% stake in La Trobe Financial to Abu Dhabi-based investor Axight

Wallenius Wilhelmsen (WW) — secured ACCC clearance with remedies for the sale of the Melbourne International RoRo & Auto terminal to Qube
MIRRAT (a Wallenius Wilhelmsen subsidiary) — secured ACCC clearance for Qube's acquisition, including remedies
Vossloh AG — ACCC clearance of its acquisition of Austrak, a fully-owned subsidiary of Laing O'Rourke
NSC Australia — engaged on its A$900 million acquisition of Coregas from Wesfarmers
APLNG — advising on competition and regulatory issues arising from the Australian Government's gas market reforms program, valued at over A$10 billion
Jemena — counsel on legal and regulatory obligations and options to address the accelerating energy transition and declining gas demand
Origin Energy — advice on competition law risks relating to proposed Virtual Power Plant operations, and on natural gas joint marketing agreements

Nippon Steel Corporation — advised on competition law aspects of its US$720 million acquisition of a 20% interest in the Blackwater mine and its US$1.36 billion joint venture with BlueScope Steel to form NS BlueScope
Apollo and Tega — counsel in the US$1.45 billion acquisition of Molycop
Michelin — advising on its acquisition of Flexitallic, including securing a waiver under the new competition regime
Thyssenkrupp — unconditionally cleared by the ACCC with no public review of its sale of its Mining Technologies business unit to FLSmidth
BASF SE — secured ACCC approval of Carlyle Group's acquisition of BASF's Coatings division
Gebr Knauf AG — counsel on a series of divestments following its ~US$7 billion acquisition of USG Corporation and Armstrong World Industries
Cinven — representing on its acquisition of chemical admixtures/construction chemicals divestiture assets from the Sika/MBCC remedies