On February 27, 2025, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) granted authorization to Catholic Health Australia, allowing its members to engage in collective negotiations regarding hospital and healthcare funding arrangements with various Funding Organisations.

Additionally, the authorization permits collective negotiations with suppliers and allows for collective boycotts of large suppliers under specific circumstances. This conduct has been authorized in similar terms since 2014, indicating a long-standing recognition of the need for collective bargaining in the healthcare sector.

However, the ACCC has explicitly denied authorization for Catholic Health Australia’s members to collectively boycott the five largest private health insurers. The commission believes that such a boycott could lead to significant public detriments, which outweigh the potential benefits of the proposed conduct.

The ACCC's authorization is valid for a period of 10 years, expiring on March 21, 2035. For more information regarding the application and determination, interested parties can refer to the ACCC’s public register.