Today, an Australian parliamentary committee grilled the IT titans – Apple, Adobe, and Microsoft – on price discrimination against Australian consumers. The IT companies were evasive under questioning.

The House of Representatives Committee on Infrastructure and Communications issued a summons to Apple, Adobe, and Microsoft to appear before the Parliament.

The Committee is investigating the impacts of prices charged to Australian consumers for IT products. The Committee has been examining claims by consumer advocates CHOICE Australia and the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network that Australian consumers have been the victims of price gouging.

Choice Australia talks about IT Price Discrimination: Sunrise

Choice Australia talks about IT Price Discrimination: The Today Show

The inquiry into IT pricing has grown into a larger public debate about copyright law, consumer rights, and competition in the digital economy. Harrison Polites has observed that the Labor member for Chifley, Ed Husic, has transformed the inquiry into “a debate in microeconomics that has significant implications for Australia’s national economy”.