What's the market look like for speakers touting the virtues of competition?
Well, about $3000 a pop, if the tab for a public speech by Rod Sims, the head of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is any guide.
That tidy sum doesn't include costs, such as the ACCC choice of accommodation and business-class plane tickets if your venue happens to be outside the market regulator's home base of Sydney.
And if you miss out on the top watchdog, deputy chairman Michael Schaper and other ACCC commissioners command can be yours for a mere $2500 speakers' fee.
It seems like there's no supply shortage when it comes to ACCC speakers. For instance, senior executives – including general managers – can be signed up for $2000 per event.
The sliding scale extends to lower-level staff who are ready to speak at $1500 a go, presumably when they're not busy hunting down anti-competitive behaviour.
Although carrying less institutional clout, these market minions have another cost advantage: “For non-SES (senior executive staff) a return economy class airfare is suitable,” according to the ACCC website.
And lest outsiders view the ACCC guardians as hungry for speakers' fees, the commission does have its charitable side. Fees are “generally waived” for non-profit events, the website says.